Figuring it Out
by JessCM09
Summary: As JJ is at home on maternity leave, she and Emily realize they have some things to figure out. Who will care for Henry when they're both working? When will they get married? How will they celebrate Alex's birthday? And much, much more. Meanwhile Alex realizes there are some things that she must also figure out, as deals with a new discovery.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've had a pretty hard time figuring out how to start this story because I wasn't entirely sure where I was going after this. After spending quite a bit of time thinking it through I finally had an epiphany and realized exactly what I want to do. So basically this story is going to take care of a few things that I need to have sorted out, and I have to entire ending already planned and I know exactly what I want to do for the next story. So I hope that you guys will enjoy this one, and bare with me as I promise I've got big plans!**

 **Thanks for sticking with me! –J**

 **Chapter 1**

"Well hello there little man, did you have a nice nap?" JJ asked as she came into the master bedroom; called there by the sounds of her son's cries. "Let's get you a clean diaper and then we'll have a little lunch. How does that sound handsome? Does that sound good?" She continued talking, Henry's cries ceasing as he stared up at his mother with big, blue eyes.

In the two weeks since Henry had been born JJ had been blissfully happy, enjoying each and every minute she spent with her new son. The blonde had loved being a mom to Alex, and now she was enjoying learning a new side to parenthood as she adjusted to life with a newborn. Emily was also enjoying the new addition to her family, and was extremely disappointed when she realized that she would have to return to work, as the team got called away on a case the previous day.

So as Emily was away, and Alex spent her day at school, JJ stayed home with Henry, busying herself with entertaining the two week old and taking care of the housework. "How about we go downstairs and watch TV while we eat okay," the blonde said, lifting the freshly changed Henry into her arms. "Your sister should be home soon and I'm sure she's been missing you all day," she said, knowing Alex hated leaving her baby brother at all.

Making her way down to the family room, JJ took a seat on the couch, grabbing a nearby receiving blanket so she could begin feeding Henry. Gently stroking the baby's soft hair, JJ smiled as she enjoyed the time with her son, eventually lifting him to get a burp once he was finished. Knowing Henry had once again drifted off, JJ held the sleeping baby for a little longer before getting up and placing him in the bassinet that they had decided to leave downstairs. Deciding she might as well take advantage of the time, JJ decided to get started on dinner since Alex didn't get home until later, as she had soccer practice after school. Getting lost in her preparations, the blonde didn't even realize how much time had passed until she heard the sound of the front door opening.

"Hey," Alex called, standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a big smile on her face; still wearing her soccer uniform. "It smells good in here."

"I thought I'd whip up a casserole," JJ smiled. "Though I admit I may have gotten a little creative with my ingredients. Might have gone a little overboard."

"Well I'm excited to try it," Alex laughed, looking around at the mess the blonde had created in the kitchen. "Do I have time to shower before we eat?"

"Yeah definitely," JJ nodded. "Henry's still sleeping so I'll just clean up here a bit while you run up. Try not to be too long though, I think your mom said she was going to try and call around dinner."

"Sounds good," Alex quickly agreed, giving the blonde a quick kiss on the cheek before running up the stairs.

JJ immediately got to work, beginning to clean up the kitchen before being interrupted by a light knock coming from the front door. Not expecting anyone, the blonde was a little confused as she made her way to the front of the house; peaking out the window to find Spencer's mother standing on the porch.

"Veronica, hi," JJ greeted as she opened up the door.

"Hi JJ," Veronica smiled politely. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I was a little worried about coming over and waking the baby but I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh no problem, Henry's sleeping," JJ replied as she opened the door up wider. "Why don't you come in?"

"I won't stay long," Veronica said as she stepped into the house. "I just had a bit of a favour to ask of you and Emily. She's away right now right?"

"Yeah I'm not sure when she'll be back yet," JJ replied. "But what can I do for you?"

"Well Peter and I both just realized that we have to go out of town for work," she explained. "And Melissa is leaving for a school trip tomorrow for a week, which leaves Spencer on her own. As much as we trust Spencer, we would rather not leave her on her own for so long, and we don't have any family in town. I don't really want her to miss any school so late in the year so I was wondering if she could perhaps stay with you," she asked. "I know it's a lot to ask given that you have a new baby, but I can assure you that she won't be any trouble."

"Of course she can stay with us," JJ was quick to reply.

"Are you sure?" Veronica asked. "I mean it would be a whole week."

"Veronica I'm sure," JJ repeated. "I mean considering how many times you've taken Alex for us, I'm pretty sure we owe you. It's no problem at all. When do you want us to take her?"

"Friday? I can have her bring her things over before school if that works for you," Veronica replied.

"That sounds good to me," JJ smiled.

"Thank you so much JJ," Veronica sighed. "You're really helping us out. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all," JJ replied with a wave of her hand. "Spencer is always welcome here. We love having her."

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"You're late," JJ greeted as she answered the phone that night, watching Alex rocking a freshly bathed Henry across the room. "I thought you were calling during dinner."

"Well that was the plan," Emily replied, her exhaustion clear in her voice. "That was until we were called in on another murder," she explained. "I just got back from the latest crime scene. Hotch gave us all some time to grab something to eat since we've been going non-stop since this morning. We're definitely in for a long night."

"Aw I'm sorry sweetie," JJ said, hearing her fiancé's frustration. "But if it makes you feel better, long nights usually result in big leads, which means you may be home before you know it. You guys will figure this thing out."

"God I hope you're right," Emily sighed. "I don't think I can handle seeing another woman killed this way," she said, sounding upset. "I…let's not talk about this," she then said. "How're the kids?"

"They're perfect," JJ replied, smiling as Alex looked up from where she was sitting. "Alex just helped me give our little man a bath, and now they're having a little bonding time, snuggling up on the rocking chair."

"Aw, really," Emily said, a smile evident in her voice. "Man I wish I was there. I miss you guys."

"We miss you too baby," JJ replied. "I know Henry is definitely missing his snuggles with his mommy."

"Well you just make sure he knows that he will be getting extra snuggles when I get back," Emily said. "Alex too, even though she'll probably hate it," she laughed. "Everything is going well though? You're getting enough sleep? Alex is helping out?"

"Alex has been a huge help," JJ replied, giving the teen a wink. "And Henry and I had a great nap this afternoon," she said. "I may not get all the sleep I want at night, but at least I'm getting a little extra in the afternoon. Not sure how that will work out for me when I get back to work though."

"We'll figure it out," Emily was quick to assure. "But let's not worry about that just yet. We've still got some time. What else is new? What did you do today?"

"Well I've decided to take in another child," JJ replied with a smirk, Alex shaking her head in amusement from across the room.

"Umm excuse me?" Came Emily's reply.

"Veronica came over today," JJ laughed. "Her, Peter and Melissa are all going to be out of town and she doesn't want to leave Spencer on her own so she asked if she could stay with us," she explained.

"And you said yes?" Emily asked sounding a little confused.

"Of course I did," JJ replied. "I mean given the amount of times they've taken Alex for us, I figured it's the least we could do. It's just a week."

"Are you sure you can handle that?" Emily asked. "I mean there's a good chance I won't be around all that much. You've got a brand new baby. You really want to take on an extra teenager too?"

"Oh please, Spencer is more mature than both of us," JJ scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if I forgot she was here. I'm not the least bit worried."

"Alright well as long as you're sure," Emily replied. "But if I were you I would do my best not to forget about her. I mean you do need to make sure she gets fed and goes to school."

"Oh quiet you, we'll be just fine okay," JJ said, smiling at the sound of Emily's laughter over the phone; glad to have taken the brunette's mind off work, even if just for a minute.

"Well hopefully I will make it home soon just in case you need the backup," Emily teased before letting out a sigh, knowing she would need to get back to work soon. "So you think that daughter of ours wants to talk to me, or is she too busy with her brother to be bothered?" She then asked.

"Well considering she's staring at me looking very impatient I think she wants to talk to you," JJ laughed. "You'll call tomorrow?"

"As soon as I can," Emily replied. "I love you. Give Henry a big kiss for me."

"I will," JJ smiled. "I love you too baby. Be safe."

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Friday morning, before school Spencer had brought her things over, saying a rather quick goodbye to her parents before heading to the bus stop with Alex. The pair were excited for their week together since Alex hadn't been staying with the Hastings anymore since JJ began her maternity leave. Though they saw each other every day the best friends were missing hanging out after school, and their late night conversations that often ended in fits of giggles. So that day as soon as school ended, the two brunettes quickly made their way to the bus, anxious to start their weekend off by spending some time with little Henry.

"Mum we're home," Alex called as she and Spencer walked into the house, dropping their bags on the floor.

"In here honey," JJ called from the family room where she was sitting making faces at Henry who was sitting in his swing with his eyes wide open. "How was school?"

"Oh, so exciting," Alex replied sarcastically before plunking herself down on the floor right in front of Henry. "Hey buddy," she said, giving the baby's foot a tickle. "Spencer's here to see you. She's gonna be here all week. Can you say hi," she continued chatting, perfectly fine with the fact that Henry couldn't answer.

"Hi Henry," Spencer greeted with a smile. "He's such a little cutie."

"He really is," JJ agreed. "Although you may not find him so cute after sleeping under the same roof as him for a week."

"Oh please Spencer sleeps like a rock," Alex said. "She won't hear this little guy at all."

"She's right," Spencer laughed. "It's not exactly easy to wake me up."

"It takes like 3 alarms," Alex added. "I used to have to practically shove her off the bed before school."

"Okay now you're exaggerating," Spencer rolled her eyes. "You never have to wake me for school. I'm pretty much always up before my alarm. I just can't be woken in the middle of the night."

"Sure, sure," Alex continued to tease.

"Speaking of sleeping," JJ suddenly interrupted, wanting to put an end to the bickering. "Aren't you two staying at….Olivia's tonight? Or was it Zoey's? Because I can't really give you a ride," she said, not wanting to drag Henry out.

"Sleepover got cancelled," Alex replied shaking her head. "It was supposed to be at Zoey's but she's got the flu."

"Plus Olivia's dad is dragging her away for the weekend," Spencer added. "He wants to put in some quality time or something."

"Which means you're stuck with us tonight," Alex smiled as JJ feigned disappointment. "Could we order Chinese?"

"Oh yes please," JJ was quick to reply. "That sounds perfect. Do you want to call for the delivery?"

"Yeah sure," Alex agreed. "You guys want the usual?" She asked, both JJ and Spencer nodding their agreement before the teen made her way into the kitchen to make the call.

Making sure Alex was out of earshot and distracted, JJ turned her attention to Spencer, who was still sitting and watching Henry with a smile on her face. "So Spencer how have you been honey?" The blonde asked.

"I'm good," Spencer said, turning towards the older blonde. "Anxious for school to be over. And a little stressed. But still good," she explained with a grin.

"Good," JJ smiled. "And how have you been feeling about the conversation we had?" She asked, referring to when the teen had confessed her feelings for Alex to her.

"Honestly?" Spencer replied. "It's still really confusing. I guess at this point I'm really just taking it day by day and being happy with the fact that she's my best friend. I mean ultimately that's what's really important to me; that she's my best friend."

"That's good," JJ nodded. "I know how important you are to her, so I really don't want to see you two lose that. But like I said before, you just need to give it time. You never know what might happen."

"I know," Spencer smiled. "I promise I won't lose sight of that," she vowed.

"Good," JJ replied just as Alex came back into the room, skipping happily.

"Foods ordered," the teen announced. "Should be here in like half an hour. Wanna work on some of our homework Spence? If we get it done early we'll have more time to just hang out this weekend."

"Sounds good," Spencer agreed, as Alex immediately went to retrieve their backpacks from the entryway, the pair deciding to work at the coffee table while they waited for dinner, JJ picking up a now fussing Henry and cuddling him on the couch.

Since they had some of the same classes, the two friends decided to start with the work they had the same, comparing answers as they went along to make sure they were both on the same track. Immersed in their work, time seemed to fly by as before they knew it the doorbell was ringing.

"Wow that was fast," Alex said as she dropped her pencil. "I'll get it," she volunteered since JJ was still holding Henry.

"My purse is in the front closet," JJ called as Alex made her way to the door, the teen stopping to grab JJ's wallet from the closet before answering the door.

Pulling open the door, Alex was immediately greeted with a sight that she hadn't been expecting.

"Well I hope you ordered enough for four," Emily said with a big smile on her face, unable to hold back her laughter at the look of shock on her daughter's face.

"Mom!" Alex finally exclaimed before throwing her arms around the taller brunette's neck. "I didn't know you were back! When did you get here?"

"We got back around noon but I had some things to finish up at the office," Emily explained as Alex finally released her. "I thought I would surprise you guys. And apparently I got here just in time," she said, holding up the bags of food she had paid for when she met the delivery guy in the driveway.

"Apparently," Alex smiled, taking one of the bags before grabbing her mother's hand and leading her towards the family room.

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me you were home," JJ said as soon as the brunette came into the room, having heard Alex talking to her at the door.

"Aw what fun would that have been," Emily said, leaning down to give the blonde a kiss. "Hi Spencer," she then said, giving her daughter's best friend a kiss on the head before placing the takeout bag down on the table so she could take Henry from JJ. "Hello my little man." she cooed. "Mommy missed you, yes she did."

"He missed you too," JJ smiled. "It's good to have you home babe."

"It's good to be home," Emily replied. "So, so good. Now let's eat. I'm ready for a weekend at home with my family."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello!**

 **So I'm not entirely thrilled with how this chapter turned out but I just wanted to get things started. I wanted to bring up a couple small things, and get the ladies thinking about everything I want to deal with in this story! I hope you guys won't be too disappointed! Please stick with me! I promise I really do have a plan!**

 **Thanks for reading! -J**

 **Chapter 2**

The sounds of small cries filled the master bedroom rather early Saturday morning, as JJ immediately groaned, not quite ready to get up yet. Having been out of town for the good part of the last week though, Emily had missed spending the extra time with her son, causing her to practically jump out of bed as soon as Henry began to make noise.

"I've got him honey," Emily said, kissing the back of the blonde's head before making her way over to the baby's cradle. "Hey there handsome," Emily whispered as she lifted the small bundle into her arms. "Did you have a good sleep buddy? You ready to get up and start your day? You're an early bird huh?" She continued talking to her son, who was now looking up at her with big, curious eyes. "Your Mama isn't really big on mornings so how about we give her a couple extra minutes okay," she said, taking Henry out of the room, and towards the nursery down the hall so she could get him a clean diaper.

Laying Henry down on the change table, Emily began getting things ready, quickly changing the squirming baby into a fresh diaper before picking him back up. "You're such a good boy Henry. Such a good little boy," she said. "Now how about we go see if your Mama is ready to get you some breakfast," she then said, heading back towards the master bedroom where JJ was now sitting up in bed looking like she was still half asleep. "Morning baby," Emily smiled.

"Mmmm morning," JJ groaned. "Is the little guy hungry?"

"I think he's definitely ready for breakfast," Emily replied. "Sorry we had to get you up. Wish I could give you a little time off."

"It's okay," JJ smiled. "I don't mind. Plus I'm just happy to actually have you home," she said as Emily handed Henry to her so she could feed him.

"I hear you on that one," Emily said, taking a seat on the bed next to the blonde. "I was beginning to think we would never solve that case. I had to keep reminding myself that I could not just up and leave."

"Was it a bad one?" JJ asked. "I mean you didn't talk about it much on the phone."

"It was just…" Emily began, searching her brain for the right words. "You know I just hate it when I actually feel bad for the killer. I mean our unsub he was….he just wasn't a bad guy," she explained. "I mean he was but…but he had his whole life taken from him and so he sought revenge. Well technically he had a breakdown but I just…I feel bad for him. Does that sound crazy?"

"Not at all," JJ shook her head. "I completely understand. Most of the time what we see makes no sense but every once in a while you just understand the unsubs."

"Which is a scary thought," Emily said.

"Yes it can be," JJ said with a soft laugh. "But just because we understand their motives doesn't mean we condone them," she pointed out. "And it doesn't mean we're like them," she then said, understanding the look the brunette had in her eyes.

Smiling, Emily shook her head. "You know sometimes you creep me out with your mind reading abilities," she said.

"It's a gift," JJ laughed. "Seriously though babe, don't think like that okay? You're nothing like him," she repeated. "You got it?"

"Got it," Emily smiled, leaning forward to give the blonde a kiss. "Now enough of this talk. I'm home and I want to enjoy every minute of it before I get whisked off again," she said. "So how about we start our day off right. Why don't I go down and make you breakfast. Anything you want."

"Chocolate chip pancakes?" JJ asked with a grin that made her look like a five year old.

"Of course," Emily laughed. "Why don't you finish up with the little guy here, and I'll go get started," she suggested. "Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect," JJ replied, leaning in for another kiss, which Emily happily gave her before hoping off the bed and heading down the hall.

Even though it was early, and they were likely still sleeping, Emily decided to check on Alex and Spencer to offer them some pancakes; quietly opening up Alex's bedroom door and sticking her head in. Turning her head towards the bed, Emily was met with a sight, which surprised her. Cuddled up in the middle of the bed, Spencer lay behind Alex with her arms wrapped around the shorter brunette; both teens still fast asleep.

Careful not to make a sound, Emily backed out of her daughter's room, softly shutting the door behind her. Still in a state of shock, Emily stared at the door, going over what she just saw in her head. She had no idea if what she just saw was something, or if the two teens had simply cuddled together in her sleep. She truly believed that Alex would come to her if something was going on between her and Spencer, but you really never knew with teenagers. Biting her lip, the brunette eventually turned from the door, heading for the stairs as she vowed to get to the bottom of what she just saw.

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"Do you think something is going on with Spencer and Alex," Emily asked as she and JJ were finishing up their breakfast; Henry fast asleep in the basinet beside them. "I mean I know you were wondering about them at New Years, but do you think they might actually be more than friends?"

"What? Why?" JJ said, trying to keep the fact that she knew anything off her face since she didn't want to betray Spencer's confidence.

"Well I went in to see if they were up to ask if they want breakfast and they're like cuddling," Emily explained. "I mean they were both fast asleep, but they were spooning. Spencer's like cuddled up behind Lex."

"Oh," JJ said, laughing as she tried to contain her excitement about how adorable that sight sounded. "Well they're asleep. They probably don't even know they're cuddling," she pointed out. "I mean how many times did we wake up like that when we were forced to share a bed on a case before we were together. They're best friends. They're comfortable with each other. It happens."

"That's true," Emily said, biting her lip in thought. "But what if it's more than that?"

"Would that really be such a bad thing?" JJ questioned.

"No," Emily was quick to reply. "No of course not. I love Spencer," she said. "But do you think she would tell us? I mean she would talk to us about it wouldn't she?"

"I think she would," JJ replied confidently. "Lex has been pretty open with us. Especially lately," she said. "She would definitely talk to us about something like this…I mean it would be a pretty big deal."

"You're right," Emily nodded. "I don't know why I'm over-thinking this."

"Because you're you," JJ replied with a smile, the brunette sticking her tongue out in reply. "But just so you know if they do end up together then I totally get to say I told you so, because I called that one _so_ long ago."

"Oh okay then," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "Whatever you say dear."

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The sun shining on her face through the crack in her bedroom curtains woke Alex from her peaceful slumber later that morning. She had been having a rather happy dream, though as she began to squint open her eyes she couldn't even remember what it was about, as she remained curled up in the warm confines of her bed. As she closed her eyes again feeling extremely comfortable and thinking she might just go back to sleep, suddenly the arms around her tightened their hold.

 _Wait. Arms?_ Alex thought to herself as her eyes shot opening, finally realizing that the reason that she felt so warm and comfortable was because Spencer was currently cuddled up behind her.

The pair had shared a bed many times before, had slept side by side every night they stayed at each other's houses, but this had never happened before. Admittedly the pair slept rather close together, both always gravitating towards the heat of the other body in the bed, but they never woke up cuddled the way they were now and Alex wasn't really sure what to do. Not wanting to wake her friend, Alex did her best not to move, feeling a little awkward now, and not knowing how Spencer would feel once she too was awake.

Considering her options, Alex began biting her lip, her body automatically stiffening when Spencer once again pulled her closer, the sound of her breathing changing, indicating that she was waking up. Obviously realizing how she had been sleeping, Spencer suddenly pulled her arms away, Alex freezing for a moment before finally deciding there was no point in pretending to be asleep.

Turning over, Alex smiled as she turned over to face her best friend. "Morning," she greeted.

"I'm sorry," Spencer immediately apologized. "I didn't realize…how long have I been like that?" She asked, her face reddening slightly.

"I'm not really sure," Alex replied with a shrug. "I just woke up. But it's really no big deal," she assured her friend. "I mean personally I slept like a baby," she said, wanting to make light of the situation since she could tell her friend was uncomfortable, even though she wasn't really sure why.

"Me too," Spencer eventually laughed, shaking her head as she rolled onto her back, facing the ceiling. "Smells like pancakes."

"Yes it does," Alex smiled. "And knowing my moms I bet there's plenty for us," she said, sitting up and turning towards the taller brunette expectantly. "Wanna go down?"

"Most definitely," Spencer replied with a grin, sitting up. "In fact, I'll race ya," she said, pushing Alex back down on the bed, before jumping up and heading for the door.

"Oh you're so on," Alex called, coming up behind her friend and grabbing her around the waist just as they reached the door.

Laughing the whole time, the pair struggled, Alex eventually persevering as she got Spencer turned around, allowing her to pull the door open and bolt for the stairs.

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"Can I ask a question?" Alex asked later that day as she, Spencer, her Moms and Henry sat out on the back porch, enjoying the rather warm spring day they were having.

"I think you just did," Spencer grinned, as Alex stuck her tongue out in reply.

"I'm not talking to you, dork," Alex said to her friend.

"What's up?" Emily asked, shaking her head at the two teens.

"When are you guys going to get married?" The teen asked. "I mean you guys keep saying you're going to do it soon. That you want a short engagement, but how short is short?"

"Why trying to make sure you don't have plans already?" JJ teased.

"No," Alex replied rolling her eyes. "I'm just curious. I mean I'm excited. I just want to know what you guys are thinking."

"Well we're thinking early fall," Emily told her. "September, maybe October."

"That's not very far," Spencer said. "Don't you have to have things booked already if you're going to get married this year?"

"Oh we don't have to worry about that," JJ waved her hand. "Emily's mother already assured us that she can pull any strings we need. Although I guess it's time we sit down and pick an actual date."

"And keep our fingers crossed that we don't get a case that day," Emily added with a sigh. "You're right though. We really need to start making some decisions. Although I'm not doing anything until Garcia is here. She already made me swear we would include her in everything and I'm not pissing that woman off."

"You're such a chicken," JJ laughed, shaking her head.

"Is Penelope going to be your maid of honour?" Spencer asked, turning towards the blonde.

"Of course," JJ nodded.

"And what about you Emily?" Spencer asked curiously. "Who's yours?"

"Alex," Emily immediately replied, the teen freezing as she leant forward to reach for her drink on the table.

"I am?"

"Of course," Emily said. "I thought you would have known that. I mean I just assumed you would have figured."

"Well you never asked," Alex pointed out.

"Do you not want to?" Emily asked, sounding slightly worried.

"No, no," Alex quickly shook her head. "Of course I do," she said, breaking out into a wide smile. "I would love to."

"Good," Emily smiled. "That's settled then."

"And now we at least have that planned," JJ said. "I really better get Penelope over here soon so we can start planning. Maybe one night this week, if you guys don't get a case."

"I want to help too," Alex said. "I mean I've got finals coming up soon and I'm pretty busy with soccer but I will do what I can."

"Sound good," Emily smiled. "We also have to decide when we're going to go get your adoption finalized," she added. "I'm not really sure why we've been putting it off."

"Well you guys did just have a baby," Alex pointed out. "You've been a little busy. Let's just make sure we get it done before the wedding okay?"

"We will have it done way sooner than that," JJ assured her. "Maybe once your summer vacation starts?"

"Sure," Alex replied with a nod.

"When do you have to go back to work JJ?" Spencer then asked, voicing a question that the blonde mother didn't want to think about at all.

"Oh God…too soon," she said. "I don't even want to think about it."

"What's going to happen when you do go back to work though?" Alex asked. "I mean with Henry."

"That's another thing we have yet to decide," JJ sighed, looking at her son who was fast asleep in his mommy's arms.

"Sounds like you've got a lot to figure out," Alex said looking from one mother to the next.

"Yes we do," Emily nodded. "We most definitely do."


	3. Chapter 3

**So I've begun to realize that I tend to get so caught up in the whole JJ/Emily/Alex aspect of this story that I seem to forget about the team. So I'm really going to try to make up for that. There's a little bit of the team in this chapter, and I plan on doing some more in the next one (with the case they're working on). So I hope that's okay. Also I've planned to basically deal with everything that I plan to deal with in this story, while dealing with Alex's birthday, which is going to be discussed quite a bit throughout the various chapters.**

 **I think I've finally gotten the structure of this story straight in my head. And I'm really looking forward to writing it all!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! -J**

 **Chapter 3**

"Oh I could just snuggle this little guy forever," Garcia sighed as she sat in the Prentiss/Jareau family room Monday night, happily snuggling little Henry. "He's just so stinking cute! Aren't you handsome? Oh yes you are," she cooed.

"I know exactly what you mean," JJ laughed, placing a mug of tea in front of her blonde friend before taking a seat beside her. "I spend most of my day just rocking him or watching him sleep. I have no idea how I'll manage to leave him when I have to go back to work."

"Aww don't even think about that!" Garcia said. "It's too sad to even consider. Let's just pretend that you get to stay home forever. And that he'll be this little and snuggly for forever too."

"I wish," JJ replied wistfully. "But unfortunately I really do need to start thinking about going back to work. I mean Emily and I are trying to figure out a plan. We can't exactly have Henry and Alex over at the Hastings when we're away."

"Ugh I wish I could take him," the technical analyst said. "But I'm not exactly home much when you guys are away."

"Trust me I know," JJ replied. "I mean you were the first person that came to mind, but we know how busy you are during a case," she said. "We were talking about my parents as well but they can't really get here all that quickly and they babysit Lily after school during the week so it really wouldn't work out."

"So what are your other options?" Garcia asked.

"A nanny?" JJ said, sounding skeptical. "Emily hates the idea, but I really don't think we have any other choice. We need someone who can be here all the time so realistically it's our best choice," she explained. "I just have to give Emily some time to warm up to the idea."

"She'll come around," Garcia assured her. "Speaking of Emily though, where is she?" She asked. "I thought the whole point of me coming over was so we could wedding plan."

"Oh it was," JJ nodded. "Which is why Emily decided to take Alex and Spencer out for ice cream," she laughed. "Since we already picked a date she said she'd give us the chance to do some serious planning before she joins us. Her only condition is she gets to pick the venue."

That morning before she left for work, Emily had confessed that she had never really thought about getting married before. She never spent her childhood imagining her wedding day because she had despised her parents' marriage so much. As she grew older she grew more skeptical of marriage since she had a difficult time making her relationships work. But as things got serious with JJ, Emily had explained she could finally see herself being with one person for the rest of her life and therefore wanted to get married for the first time in her life. Since she had never really thought about a wedding before, the brunette admittedly wasn't even sure what she wanted for the day, so she explained that she would probably be taking a backseat as long as JJ allowed her to choose the venue; promising that the blonde would love what she had in mind. Understanding, and trusting her fiancé, JJ had agreed, knowing Emily would be involved in anything she really needed her to be.

"Where does she want to have the wedding?" Garcia asked curiously.

"She won't tell me yet," JJ chuckled. "She said she has someone she needs to talk to and then she'll fill me in."

"Ugh that woman," Garcia huffed. "Always with the mystery," she said, making JJ laugh.

"Yeah," JJ smiled. "I kind of love it though."

"Of course you do," Garcia laughed, loving the lovesick look on her friend's face. "So what kind of plans do you have for this wedding then my little buttercup?"

"Well I have a ton of ideas but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to bring them together," JJ explained. "Which is why I thought we would take a look through some of these," she said, pulling a stack of wedding magazines out from under the couch. "Find a way to plan a simple, yet elegant wedding in a matter of like…5 months," she said, sounding slightly worried.

"No worries Jayje," Garcia said, the wheels in her head already turning. "We totally got this."

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"Remind me again why we're out for ice cream while Mum's at home planning the wedding with Penelope," Alex said as she sat outside the ice cream parlor with Spencer and her mom.

"Because I thought you girls deserved a treat," Emily replied with a shrug. "Plus I wanted to spend some time with my daughter and her best friend."

"Yeah because we all haven't spent enough time together all weekend," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "You're obviously trying to get out of wedding planning."

"I am not," Emily replied with an eye roll of her own. "I'm just letting JJ take care of things with Garcia, while I take care of a few things on my own," she explained. "And then we'll get together and make the big decisions together. Flowers and colour schemes just really aren't my thing. Definitely more in Garcia's area of expertise."

"Wow letting Penelope take care of colour schemes," Alex said, a grin spreading over her face as she imagined the colours that the bubbly blonde would choose. "That's pretty brave of you."

"Yes well I expect your Mum to reign her in when things get too crazy," Emily replied with a laugh. "Also we went over a quick list of things I absolutely hate so I'm not too worried," she added.

"So do you know what you're going to wear?" Spencer then asked curiously. "I mean you're both wearing dresses right?"

"Yes," Emily nodded. "Though I think I will be going for something a little simpler than Jen will," she said. "I guess I better start looking actually. You'll have to do that with me Lex. That way we can find something for you to wear too."

"That sounds fun," Alex smiled. "Are you having anyone else in the wedding party? I mean you guys haven't really told me anything about it."

"No we both decided we would just have one person stand beside each of us," Emily replied. "We want to keep the wedding small so we figured we'd go with a small wedding party as well."

"That makes sense," Spencer said. "It'll be really nice."

"That's what we're hoping," Emily smiled. "But I actually wanted to talk to you girls about something non-wedding related," she then said. "Well I really want to ask you Lex, but you'll be involved as well Spencer," she explained, receiving confused looks from both teens. "Well someone's birthday is coming up," she said with an excited look on her face as she turned to her daughter. "The big 1-5."

"Oh," Alex replied, looking down at her bowl of ice cream. "Yeah I guess it is pretty close huh."

"Just a couple weeks now," Spencer said.

"Exactly," Emily smiled. "And I know that you'll be busy studying for finals then, but I thought it would be nice to get a break in there somewhere to celebrate," she said. "Whatever you want. We can do something at the house, or go somewhere. We'll invite the girls and the team, plus all the family, though I'm not positive they'll all be able to come down."

"Oh well….yeah sure," Alex nodded, not sounding the least bit excited.

"You should go with a party at the house," Spencer suggested, noting the suddenly somber look on her best friend's face. "It should be warm enough to swim by then and Penelope always organizes really fun games."

"Sure," Alex repeated, doing her best to force a smile. "Sounds good," she said just as her mother's cell phone began to ring. Checking her caller ID, Emily sighed, seeing her boss' name lighting up the screen. "Hotch?" Alex asked, recognizing the look on the older brunette's face.

"You bet," Emily replied. "I'll be right back," she said, standing up and going around the corner of the ice cream shop so she could answer her phone in private.

Now left alone, Spencer turned her attention to Alex, who still looked to be upset. "Hey you okay?" Spencer asked. "What happened there? You seem sad all of a sudden."

"I'm not sad," Alex was quick to deny, scooping a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"Are you sure about that?" Spencer said skeptically. "Because you got a little weird there when your mom mentioned your birthday. What's going on? Don't you want to have a birthday party?"

"I said sure didn't I?" Alex said in reply. "A birthday party is fine."

"Well you don't seem very excited about it," Spence pointed out.

"It's just a 15th birthday," Alex replied with a shrug. "I just don't think it's a big deal."

"It's a birthday," Spencer said, trying to get her friend excited. "They're always a big deal," she said. "I mean it's the one day a year where everybody spoils you and you get to be the centre of attention. It's supposed to be fun….it _will_ be fun."

"Yeah…okay," Alex nodded as Emily came back around the corner, looking thoroughly disappointed. "Case?" Alex asked.

"We leave first thing in the morning," Emily sighed. "I told Hotch I would let Garcia know so we better head home before she let's herself indulge in some wine while she plans. We'll need her bright and early," she said as both teens stood from their seats so they could head home.

"You know sometimes I really wish the serial killers would just take a break," Alex said, happy for the change in subject but feeling bummed about her mother leaving again. "I feel like you just got home," she said as Emily put an arm around her.

"I know honey," Emily said, kissing the side of the teen's head, before throwing her other arm around Spencer. "But I will be home before you know it and then we can plan the wedding and your birthday. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Alex replied, forcing a smile. "Just great."

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Returning to the Prentiss/Jareau household, Emily had been forced to break the bad news to both the blondes; explaining that the team would be leaving first thing in the morning, and that Hotch would need Garcia in the office before they boarded the plane. Both JJ and Garcia had been bummed, half-heartedly sharing their wedding plans before Garcia had decided to go home, needing to go over the information Hotch had sent her before getting some sleep.

JJ was sad to have Emily leaving again so soon, but she did her best to understand; spending the night cuddling with the brunette before bidding her a rather tearful goodbye, which she had insisted was only because she was still hormonal. So after ducking into Alex's room to say goodbye to her and Spencer, both of whom were barely awake, Emily headed for the airstrip, finding only Hotch there when she arrived.

"Hey bossman," Emily greeted as she boarded the plane, finding Hotch already scanning through the case files and making notes. "Already hard at it."

"I figured we should take any head start we can get," Hotch replied, putting his pen down. "Plus I was just really early."

"As usual," Emily laughed, taking a seat across from him. "You just can't help yourself," she smiled. "Did you at least relax last night with Haley and Jack?"

"As much as one can relax with a rambunctious almost 2 year old who enjoys running around the house while his father is trying to give him a bath," Hotch said with an uncharacteristic smile. "What about you? You were wedding planning with Garcia and JJ right? That must have been very non-relaxing," he joked.

"Well considering I spent the night getting ice cream with Alex and Spencer while they planned, it was," Emily explained with a laugh. "I gave Jen the run down of things I hated, most of which she agreed with anyways, and then asked to pick the venue so I feel pretty secure letting her take care of most other things," she explained. "Plus she's better at talking Garcia out of crazy ideas than I am and she promised we wouldn't make any final decisions without consulting each other first."

"Sounds like you've got a pretty good system," Hotch smiled. "I actually had a pretty similar deal with Haley when we got married. Worked well for us, so I'm sure it'll work for you too," he said. "Where are you planning on having it?"

"Well I haven't told anyone about this yet, so you better keep it a secret for now," Emily began to explain. "But my family lived in the most beautiful house in Virginia when I was a teenager," she said. "It was actually one of my favourite houses that we ever lived in, and even though I went through some pretty tough stuff while I lived there," she said referring to her teenage pregnancy, "I really feel like I grew up there. I don't exactly know who's living there right now, if anyone, but I'm planning to go find out if we can have the wedding there. I mean it's got a beautiful yard and foyer. It would be perfect for a small wedding. And I think Jen would like it."

"I bet she'll love it," Hotch said. "Sounds really nice."

"What sounds nice?" Rossi called as he boarded the plane, Morgan and Reid not far behind him. "You two working or just engaging in some girl talk."

"I actually think they call it small talk old man," Hotch said. "And I don't think it's any of your business," he said, giving Emily a small smile. "It's about time you all showed up."

"I would have been here faster if it wasn't for these two," Morgan said, putting his bag down before forcing Emily to move over so he could sit beside her. "I was on my way to pick up Reid when this guy calls saying he needs a lift from some hotel completely out of my way," he explained gesturing towards Rossi, who was looking rather smug.

"Where was your car?" Emily asked with a laugh.

"Well in the spirit of safety I left my car at the bar last night," Rossi replied. "And I had planned to get up early to go retrieve it but I got a bit…distracted," he said without a hint of embarrassment. "So I had to call Morgan."

"Mr. Responsible," Morgan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"That actually does sound very responsible," Reid said. "I mean drinking and driving is the leading cause of car accidents, although distracted driving stats are on the rise and…."

"Alright now that we're all here, I'll go tell the pilot we're ready," Hotch interrupted before Reid could start a huge explanation that none of them were prepared for so early in the morning. "Reid why don't you hand out those case files, we need to hit the ground running on this," he said before going to talk to the pilot.

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"Lex can I ask you something?" Spencer asked early Wednesday night as she lay spread out on her friend's bed doing her homework, Alex sitting at her desk.

"Sure, but if it's about this math you need to give me a little longer, I'm not done yet," Alex replied, looking up to find her friend watching her with a worried gaze. "What's wrong?"

Hesitating, Spencer opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally sighing, deciding she needed to ask the question she had been waiting since Monday night to ask. "Why don't you want to have a birthday party?"

"What are you talking about?" Alex replied, trying to sound convincing. "I never said I didn't want a birthday party."

"No, you didn't say it," Spencer agreed. "But I saw the look on your face when your mom asked you about it," she said. "You didn't look happy, and you didn't sound the least bit excited, so what's going on? Is it because of your parents?" She asked voicing the only guess she had been able to come up with since she had begun to worry about it.

"I…." Alex begun, considering denial before finally sighing in defeat, knowing there was no point in lying to her friend who always saw right through her. "I've never celebrated a birthday without them," she shrugged sadly.

"So why didn't you say something to your mom?" Spencer asked, sitting up. "She would totally get it."

"I know she would," Alex said. "She would totally understand and she wouldn't make me do anything I don't want to but….she just looked so excited. I didn't know what to say," she said. "But I'm just really not looking forward to my birthday this year. It's just…it just makes me sad."

"You know that's perfectly understandable right," Spencer said supportively. "I mean I totally get it. Anyone would," she said, watching as Alex began to pick at her nails, indicating that she was anxious. "Your mom wants to celebrate with you, but she doesn't want to upset you. You need to talk to her."

"I can't…"

"Alex," Spencer quickly interrupted, giving her friend a stern look. "Call her. Seriously," she said, grabbing her friend's cell phone off her nightstand before bringing it over to her. "I'm gonna go down and get a snack. Talk to JJ for a while," she said. "You call."

Watching as her friend left the room, Alex pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on as she considered what she needed to do. Even though she knew that Spencer was right, and that Emily would understand if she said she didn't want to have a birthday party; Alex still felt like she would be letting her mother down. She and Emily hadn't discussed her birthday in the past, but the teen could tell from their conversation Monday night that her mom was obviously excited.

Knowing there was no point in putting it off, Alex hit the speed-dial for her mother's number, listening as the phone began to ring, while silently hoping no one would answer; her wishes crushed when her mother's voice eventually came through. "Alex?"

"Hi Mom," Alex greeted, doing her best to sound upbeat. "Are you busy?"

"Well I'm still working, but that's okay," Emily replied. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah of course everything's fine," Alex quickly assured her. "I just…do you have time to talk?"

"I've always got time for you honey," Emily said, the sounds of her opening and closing a door in the background. "What's up?"

"Well I kind of wanted to talk to you about my birthday," Alex replied hesitantly, suddenly feeling extremely unsure of how to explain herself.

"Oh did you decide what you wanted to do?" Emily asked. "Because I think a pool party and barbeque would be really nice. We can do it the weekend before or after. Whichever works better for you in terms of studying for your finals. But if you wanted to do something else that's fine too. It's your day sweetie," she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

"Well actually I kind of…" Alex attempted to begin to explain before shaking her head in frustration, biting her lip as she carefully considered her next words. "Look I know you really want to do something, and I really appreciate that. I mean a party with the family sounds really great but….it's just that….I….I'm not really looking forward to my birthday this year," she finally spit out. "As my birthday has gotten closer it's just gotten a lot harder because I….I'm…"

"Because you're thinking of your parents?" Emily finished for her, understanding what her daughter seemed unable to get out. "Oh honey of course you are. I'm so sorry. I should have realized how hard this would be for you," she said, sounding guilty.

"I'm just having a really hard time with the fact that they aren't here this year," Alex admitted. "It's just a lot harder than I thought it would be. I've never had a birthday without them and it's just…"

"Oh honey you don't have to explain," Emily assured her. "I completely understand. You should have just told me as soon as I brought your birthday up. We don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course," Emily assured her. "After all it is _your_ birthday. Don't even worry about it kiddo."

"Thanks Mom," Alex replied, relieved that the conversation had gone so smoothly. "Do you have to get back to work? Or do you have time to talk?"

"Actually I really should get back," Emily said. "But I might be able to call you back in a couple hours," she suggested. "You can tell me about your day then."

"Sounds perfect," Alex replied happily. "I love you."

"Love you too sweetheart," Emily responded. "We'll talk soon."

"Bye," Alex said before hanging up, putting her phone down and sighing as she leant back in her chair, feeling relieved. "I don't know why you worry yourself so much Alex," the teen said to herself, rolling her eyes as she stood up and stretched deciding she would go downstairs and get herself a snack. "Had nothing to worry about," she said, shaking her head as she left her room.

Meanwhile Emily sat with her head in her hands in the precinct of a small town in Ohio unable to help feeling anything other than disappointment, as she realized she was going to miss out on celebrating yet another birthday with her daughter.


	4. Chapter 4

**So I finished this last night but was too tired to edit it, but here it is! (And it didn't take me a whole week this time!) I really hope that you guys enjoy it! I've got big plans for the next couple chapters so get ready guys! I think you're going to like what I have in mind!**

 **But for now enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading as always! -J**

 **Chapter 4**

Emily had been upset when she had gotten off the phone. She had been looking forward to Alex's birthday, excited to be able to spend the day with her daughter for the first time, but her daughter had other ideas. The teen was still suffering from the loss of her parents and therefore wanted to treat her birthday as any other day, and Emily really couldn't blame her. Understanding that the teen was sad about spending her birthday without her adoptive parents, and knowing her sadness would only increase as the anniversary of her parent's death approached, Emily knew she couldn't push her daughter into celebrating her birthday.

So doing her best to act normal, and get her head back into the case, Emily had gone back to work; rejoining the team at the table as they combed through the lives of all of their victims. Since they had quite a bit of information to go through, the team had decided to work as late as they could until Hotch eventually ordered everyone to return to the hotel to get some sleep.

Having missed the opportunity to call Alex since the teen had school the next day, Emily instead sent JJ a text as soon as she got to her room asking if the blonde was awake since Henry often needed to be fed around then. Placing her phone on the bed so she could change, the brunette smiled when her ringtone for JJ filled the room less than a minute later.

"Hey Baby," Emily greeted, flopping back on the bed with a sigh. "I didn't wake you with my text did I?"

"No it was perfect timing actually," JJ replied, her voice quiet. "I just got Henry back to sleep."

"Aww how is he?" Emily asked, her voice indicating just how much she missed the little boy.

"Perfect as always," JJ replied. "But definitely missing his Mommy. I had a hard time getting him to sleep earlier. I think he was missing you rocking him."

"Well hopefully we won't have to spend too many nights away from each other," Emily said. "Though it's not looking too promising right now."

"Tough case?"

"Well the victimology is all over the place," Emily replied. "We've got men and women, different ages, different races. All killed with their tongues cut out."

"Gross," JJ muttered, making the brunette laugh. "Although cutting out their tongues. That seems like a pretty clear message. I mean the unsub could be trying to shut them up."

"That's exactly what Reid said," Emily said. "But we can't seem to find out what it is they want to keep them quiet about. I mean they all seem like perfectly normal people, living perfectly normal lives," she explained. "Though there must be a connection in there somewhere. We just haven't found it."

"Well everyone's got a dirty little secret," JJ said, hearing her girlfriend's exhaustion in her voice. "You guys must be getting pretty frustrated."

"It's just getting so tiring," Emily said, wishing she could be at home in her bed with the blonde, wanting to talk to her about her conversation with Alex earlier, but unsure how to bring it up. "I uh talked to Alex earlier," she finally said. "Did she tell you?"

"Yeah she mentioned she was talking to you when she came downstairs earlier," JJ replied. "Did she call you?"

"Yeah she wanted to talk about her birthday," Emily explained.

"Oh did she decide what she wanted to do?"

"Actually she doesn't want to do anything," Emily said, doing her best not to sound disappointed, though she knew the blonde would hear it regardless. "She's been feeling kind of down about her parents. She misses them and I guess her birthday coming up is just making it harder for her. She's never spent a birthday without them so she'd rather just not celebrate this year."

"And you're okay with that?" JJ asked, her voice indicating she knew the truth, as Emily remained silent. "Em I know how much you've been looking forward to this. I mean you've been talking about it since like new years. Did you even tell her that?"

"Of course not," Emily was quick to reply. "I mean it obviously took a lot for her to open up like that, and I wasn't going to ruin that by pressuring her into something she doesn't want or making her feel bad about it," she explained. "I mean I've missed the chance to throw my kid a birthday for the last 14 years, so what's one more?"

"Em, Alex doesn't know how important this is to you," JJ said. "She doesn't know how much you want this. If she did I'm sure she would feel differently. You should have told her."

"I can't," Emily was quick to deny. "I really can't do that to her Jen. It's fine," she said. "I mean I'm sure I can still give her a present so at least there's that. It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal," JJ insisted sadly. "I'm sorry baby."

"Well there's always next year," Emily replied, her voice sad, knowing there was no need to hide her feelings from the blonde. "At least I'll get to actually be with her on her birthday. That's better than nothing."

"That's very true," JJ said, trying her best to sound positive. "And who knows, maybe she'll come around and change her mind. Maybe the girls will convince her."

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "Maybe."

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Emily had a hard time sleeping that night, unable to shake off her disappointment enough to clear her mind and fall asleep. So after several hours of tossing and turning, the profiler wasn't sure she had slept at all when her alarm began to ring early the next morning. Groaning, Emily pulled herself out of bed; turning off the alarm before dragging her feet towards the bathroom in order to shower and get ready.

Though she was feeling groggy, the brunette managed to get herself ready in record time, deciding to meet the team down in the lobby so she could search for some coffee before they had to leave. Emily was in the elevator as she pulled out her cell phone, planning on texting Morgan to let him know where she was; her attempts pointless as the elevator doors opened to reveal her fellow Agent standing on the other side with two coffee cups in hand.

"Please tell me one of those is for me," Emily said desperately, fully prepared to tackle her friend if needed in order to get the caffeine.

"It is," Morgan smiled. "I actually went out to get the good stuff. Thought you could use it."

"You have no idea how badly," Emily replied taking the cup gratefully and immediately taking a rather generous sip. "God that's good. Thank you."

"No problem," Morgan smiled, following the brunette deeper into the lobby, the pair taking a seat on one of the sofas there so they could wait for the rest of the team. "You have trouble sleeping?" He then guessed, able to see the tiredness in his friend's eyes despite her best attempts at covering it up.

"I had a lot on my mind," Emily replied, biting her lip.

"Yeah I kind of noticed you were a little off when you got off the phone with Lex yesterday," Morgan nodded understandingly. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Alex doesn't want to celebrate her birthday this year," Emily said after a moment's hesitation. "She's feeling a little down about her parents not being here. Which I totally understand but…" She explained, suddenly unable to find the right words.

"But you were looking forward to celebrating your daughter's birthday with her," Morgan finished for her, having heard the brunette discussing plans quite a bit over the last couple months.

"I missed 14 birthdays Derek," Emily said. "For 14 years I spent Alex's birthday sitting around thinking about her…wishing I could be with her," she explained. "Her birthday has been a really hard day for me ever since she was born, and for the first time I actually get to be with her and it's still going to be a day filled with sadness," she shrugged. "I just want to give my daughter a birthday. I want to do something special for her for the first time and I can't…because…because she misses her parents…and I'm just…I'm…just really disappointed," she confessed, her eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

Having never considered how Alex's birthday would have made Emily feel in the past, Morgan was filled with a sudden sadness for his friend. "I'm sorry Em," he said, reaching forward and taking her hand. "You know it's okay to be disappointed. It's completely understandable actually. Did you happen to tell Alex how you feel about it?" He asked.

"How can I?" Emily said, shaking her head. "She opened up to me about how she feels; something that Jen and I are constantly begging her to do. I can't try and ignore those feeling because I'm bummed out," she explained. "I've got to respect what she wants, even if I hate it."

Nodding, Morgan wished he could think of something to do or say to make his friend feel better, but knew there really wasn't anything that would make Emily feel better, besides Alex changing her mind. "You know she still has time to change her mind," he pointed out, saying the only thing he could think of.

"Yeah that's what Jen said too," Emily said, giving her friend a small smile. "I'm not going to get my hopes up too much though," she said. "I just really need to get my head back in this case. I can't talk about this anymore," she said, finally pulling her hand away from Morgan's so she could take another long sip of her coffee.

"Of course," Morgan nodded, understanding Emily's need to compartmentalize her feelings right now. "You got any new ideas about our unsub?" He then asked, knowing the brunette would appreciate the subject change, especially since the rest of the team would most likely be arriving soon.

"No clue," Emily shook her head, hoping that perhaps Reid had, had some sort of epiphany during the night. "But I think we need to really figure out what it is our unsub was trying to keep our victims quiet about," she said. "I think it's our only hope for a connection and really the only way we're going to find our unsub."

"I think you're right," Morgan agreed. "So let's get to work and find us a connection," he said, knowing Emily was preparing to bury herself in her work; unsure if that was a good thing or not.

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"I think I found something," Garcia, who was on speakerphone said later that afternoon; words which had the whole team sitting forward in their chairs.

"What is it Baby Girl?" Morgan asked with everyone listening closely, anxious for something solid that would lead them to their unsub.

"Well I was thinking about what you said about the unsub trying to quiet the victims," Garcia began to explain. "That there must be some sort of scandal that all of these people knew about, or that they all witnessed something that someone didn't want repeated. So if they all saw or knew something than that would mean that their lives crossed paths at some point in their lives, even if they all didn't know it, so I started digging," she continued. "So I started looking into schooling and work and basically anything I could think of but I wasn't coming up with anything…"

"Garcia are we going to get to what you found soon?" Hotch asked, getting impatient with the analyst's long-winded story.

"Almost there Boss-man, promise," Garcia replied, before picking up where she left off. "So since I couldn't find any crossover I put my thinking cap on and I decided to I needed to dig deeper so I started to look into our victims, and that's when I found it."

"Found what?" Emily asked eagerly.

"Well, while our victims didn't know each other, it turns out that they all had family members who did…or might have," Garcia replied. "Because all of our victims have a father or mother or in a couple cases grandmother or grandfather who all went to the same high school," she said. "Now I know that could be a coincidence because this is a small town, but at the time that these family members went to school together there were 3 high schools. It could be a long shot but…"

"But it's definitely worth looking into," Rossi said, interrupting the blonde. "Which means we need to figure out what happened at that school."

"And we need to talk to the families again," Reid added.

"Reid you go with Morgan, Prentiss you're with Rossi," Hotch began to hand out instructions. "Split the victims and go talk to the families, Garcia will text you the names of the family members who went to school together."

"Aye, aye captain," Garcia said, acknowledging Hotch's orders.

"We'll meet back here and compare notes," Hotch then said, the rest of the team nodding their understanding before leaving their seats; all hoping that they finally had the lead that they've been waiting for.

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After talking to Emily on the phone, JJ had a hard time getting to sleep. The blonde knew how much Emily had been looking forward to celebrating Alex's birthday with her. The brunette had confessed to the blonde quite some time ago that for the last 14 years Alex's birthday had been an incredibly difficult day for her and she was therefore looking forward to this year being different. For Emily, Alex's birthday was a sad day, but now that her daughter was living with her, she wanted to turn it into a happy day again; but now that was ruined.

JJ understood Alex's hesitation about her birthday this year. Both she and Emily knew that the teen was going to have a difficult time as the anniversary of her parents' death neared, but they hoped that they would be able to do something special for her for her birthday.

And while JJ wanted to respect her daughter's wishes, she just couldn't stop thinking about Emily's feelings, which got her thinking. Alex didn't know how Emily felt about her birthday; she wasn't aware of how important the day was for the older brunette, and JJ felt that if she did she would feel differently about not celebrating it. So even though JJ knew that Emily wouldn't approve, the blonde decided she was going to talk to Alex, and therefore spent her entire day thinking about what she was going to say.

"Hey Mum, we're home," Alex called later that day, as she and Spencer came in the front door; Alex clad in her soccer gear.

"How was practice?" JJ asked as the girls dropped their things and joined her in the family room where she was sitting with Henry.

"Exhausting," Alex sighed, taking a seat cross-legged on the floor, not wanting to sit on the furniture since she was still sweaty. "But I think we're ready for the big game Friday."

"You're definitely ready," Spencer said, taking a seat on the couch next to JJ. "You should see her practice. It's kind of intense. I wouldn't want to play against her," she said to the blonde.

"I am not that intense," Alex said, rolling her eyes. "I just really want to win."

"Well that much was obvious," Spencer replied with a laugh. "I mean I'm pretty sure your own team is afraid of you."

"They are not!" Alex argued. "Stop exaggerating. I am not scary," she said as JJ watched the pair, laughing. "Do you think you'll be able to make it to the game?" She then asked, turning to her blonde mother.

"I will be there for sure," JJ quickly assured her. "Henry and I are looking forward to it."

"Good," Alex beamed happily. "I should probably go shower before dinner though," she said, beginning to get up before JJ interrupted.

"Actually Lex, I was hoping I could talk to you about something," she said, glancing at Spencer, who immediately got the hint.

"I should go start my homework," the taller brunette said, getting up off the couch. "I'll just be in your room," she said to Alex before heading for the stairs.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, watching Spencer walk up the stairs before turning towards JJ who was looking rather nervous. "Is something wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing happened," JJ was quick to assure her. "Everything's fine I just….I talked to your mom last night and…" she hesitated, unsure if she was doing the right thing.

"And?" Alex questioned.

"Well she told me that you don't want to celebrate your birthday," JJ said, sounding a little unsure of herself. "And really I completely understand," she said. "I felt the same way the year after my sister died. I didn't want to celebrate anything without her. It was incredibly hard."

"So did you?" Alex asked, beginning to pick at her nails.

"I did," JJ nodded. "My mom told me that my sister wouldn't want me to sit around mourning her. She would want me to keep on living. To be happy," she explained. "And so she would make sure that we always made a big deal about everything; every birthday, every holiday," she smiled. "And it always felt like Roz was there with us," she said, watching as Alex bit her lip, obviously thinking. "I know you're missing your parents honey. And I know that it's hard…thinking about celebrating your birthday without them…especially since it's almost been a year since they were…I know it's hard," she said, not wanting to bring up their death. "And I don't want to pressure you…I don't want you to do anything you don't want but I just wanted to give you something else to think about."

"What?" Alex asked, raising her eyebrow curiously.

"Your Mom," JJ said, as Alex looked even more confused. "Your Mom loves you Lex, and she would do anything to make you happy. And truthfully she probably won't be thrilled with me for telling you this, but she was really looking forward to celebrating a birthday with you," she explained. "Your Mom spent every one of your birthdays thinking of you and wishing she could be with you, and after all this time she finally gets the chance, which is why she wanted to do something special for you."

"She never said," Alex said, looking guilty.

"I know," JJ sighed. "And she won't. Because she wants to put you first; she just wants to make sure you're happy," she said.

"I never really thought about how Mom would feel about my birthday," Alex confessed, feeling bad now that she thought about it. "That must have been hard for her."

"I think it was," JJ nodded, hating the sad look on the teen's face. "Look Sweetie, I don't want you to feel bad about this. I just wanted to tell you the truth because your Mom won't, and because I really think this is what your parents would want. They would want you to be happy Lex. They wouldn't want you to spend your birthday sitting around missing them…being sad," she said. "Your mom loves you and she just wants to give you a special day, but if you really don't want to then that's really okay," she assured her. "But just think about it okay?"

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Okay," she said, standing up from the floor, still needing to go upstairs to shower, heading towards the stairs before stopping and turning back towards JJ. "Mum," she said, causing the blonde to turn towards her. "I love you and Mom you know. Even though I miss my parents I still…I really love you guys."

"We know that sweetie," JJ replied. "We completely understand where all of this is coming from. We never doubted your love for a second," she smiled, as Alex nodded. "Now go shower. Dinner will be ready in a little bit."


	5. Chapter 5

**Well I have to say I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out, and I really think that you all will be too! Once again thanks so much for being such amazing readers! You guys rock! -J**

 **Chapter 5**

"So Gabby Matthews is having a party tomorrow night," Olivia announced as she sat down at the lunch table Friday afternoon. "To celebrate the soccer team's win."

"We haven't even won yet," Alex pointed out, as she sat down with her lunch tray. "And how is it possible that you know about a party one of my teammates is throwing before I do?" She asked incredulously.

"Umm because I just saw her in the bathroom," Olivia replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And let's be real we all know you guys are going to win tonight," she said. "And if by some freak chance you do lose, well then we can cheer you all up with a party!"

"Very good thinking," Zoey said sarcastically as she laughed at the excited look on her blonde friend's face.

"Well as fun as that sounds," Alex began. "I highly doubt my moms are going to let me go to a party. I mean you do remember what happened last time don't you?" She asked, referring to the time she had lied to her mothers and gone to a party with Olivia, where she had gotten incredibly drunk.

"It's not that kind of party," Olivia said, shaking her head. "It's just going to be the team and some of their friends and the guys team," she explained. "Her parents are going to be there. It'll just be like swimming and hanging out. Maybe some games. We have to go," she said excitedly.

"My parents are back tonight so I'll have to ask them," Spencer said, not looking particularly interested. "My mom may try to enforce family time, but if they let me out I'll go," she said with a shrug, up for doing what her friends were doing even if she wasn't really into it.

"Yeah same here," Zoey agreed. "Although I don't think my parents will care. I'm pretty sure they're having date night tomorrow."

Looking extremely happy, Olivia then turned her attention to Alex, watching the brunette expectantly. "Lex?" She said, her voice begging.

"My mom's still not home," Alex replied, biting her lip. "I'll have to ask my Mum, and she'll probably want to talk to mom about it," she explained with a shrug. "But if they say it's okay then I'll go," she sighed.

"Yes!" Olivia practically shouted, throwing her arms in the air unembarrassed. "This is perfect! We can talk about what we're going to wear at Alex's tonight," she said, since the girls would be sleeping at the brunette's that night. "It's going to be so much fun!"

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Friday afternoon JJ was bummed that Emily _still_ wasn't home from the case. From what the blonde had heard from both Emily and Garcia, the case had gotten rather messy and the team was still struggling to find their killer; though they were fairly certain they knew who they were looking for. Though she was missing her fiancé like crazy, JJ was looking forward to going to Alex's soccer game, anxious to take Henry on an outing, and really wanting to watch Alex play. So as she went about her daily routine, occasionally checking the time as she counted down the hours until Alex's game; leaving early so she would have plenty of time to get a good seat with Henry.

"Hi JJ!" Spencer was the first to greet her as she and the other girls laid out a blanket down next to her chair. "Hi Henry," she smiled.

"Hi girls," JJ smiled, receiving hugs from both Olivia and Zoey, who hadn't seen her for a while. "Say hi Henry," she said as both teens cooed over the baby.

"Oh he's just so cute," Olivia gushed, spending a few extra minutes fussing over her friend's brother. "You excited to watch some soccer Henry? I bet you are. Just wait till you see your sister play. She's a badass."

"Geez Liv you're already teaching the kid bad words," Zoey said, shaking her head as JJ simply laughed at the blonde.

"So still no Emily?" Spencer eventually asked as they all settled on the ground and the two teams came out for warm-ups; Olivia looking around the field, wanting to see who was watching.

"No," JJ sighed disappointedly. "The team's still not back yet."

"Actually I wouldn't be so sure about that," Olivia said, seeing several cars pulling into the parking lot, immediately recognizing Emily's and Garcia's.

"Oh my God," JJ whispered, a huge smile on her face as she saw Emily, Morgan, Garcia and Reid jogging towards them; immediately standing with Henry in her arms to greet the brunette who was leading the pack. "It's about time," she said as she was engulfed in Emily's arms.

"God I missed you," Emily sighed, kissing the blonde's head, before taking Henry from her. "And I missed you handsome. Mommy missed you so much," she said, giving him kisses all over his face.

"Aw look at Mommy Prentiss," Morgan teased as he greeted JJ with a hug before moving so he could see Henry better. "Hey there big guy," he smiled down at the little blonde.

"It's good to see you guys finally home," JJ said after getting hugs from both Reid and Garcia, both of whom then went to say hello to Henry. "I was beginning to think you would be gone for the weekend too."

"So were we," Reid said, sitting down next to the blonde. "But luckily our unsub made a mistake and we got him."

"Not without scaring the crap out of me first though," Garcia huffed as she took Henry from Emily, claiming she needed to see her Godson. "You guys just can't do anything without things ending up in a standoff can you?"

"What happened?" JJ asked in concern. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone's fine," Emily was quick to assure her. "Things just got a little…close for comfort," she said, glancing at Alex's friends, who were listening carefully. "Rossi talked him down though. Everything turned out okay."

"Oh good," JJ nodded understandingly, knowing the brunette would fill her in on the details later when there were less young ears listening in. "Oh they're going to start soon," she then said turning to the field. "Lex is going to be so happy you're here," she said, watching as Alex noticed Emily for the first time, waving at her mother with a big smile on her face. "She's been talking about this game all week. She really wanted you here."

"I hope she hasn't been stressing herself out too much," Emily said, watching closely as the game began. "I know this is a big game for her but she's really way too hard on herself."

"She's been intense," Spencer said, having spent the entire week with the shorter brunette. "But that's just how she is."

"You got that right," Olivia agreed, everyone laughing before focusing their attention on the game, which was already getting interesting.

Spencer was right, Alex was intense and it showed on her face the entire game, as the brunette ran up and down the field, stealing the ball from the opposing team and doing her best to get it into their net. It was a close game, the teams matching each other goal for goal; the game remaining tied until the last two minutes when Alex scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal, meaning the team would move on to the finals. The teen was obviously ecstatic, immediately surrounded by her teammates who were all jumping up and down, hugging her in celebration.

When Alex was finally able to pull away she immediately ran towards her family and friends with a big smile on her face. "Mom!" She called, jumping into the older brunette's arms, not caring who was watching as Emily lifted her up off the ground. "You made it!"

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world kid," Emily said, kissing the teen's cheek. "You were amazing sweetie! Absolutely amazing!"

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Alex was in a great mood after the game, thrilled about being the hero of the game, and looking forward to playing in the finals. The teen had barely stopped talking on the way home, driving in Emily's car with Olivia while Spencer and Zoey had decided to ride with JJ since they were all sleeping over that night. Emily was happy to listen to Alex, so proud and happy for her daughter; laughing along as she and Olivia bantered back and forth, feeling so grateful to be home with her family.

"Is he asleep?" Alex asked later that night as she tiptoed into the master bedroom where Emily was rocking Henry to sleep.

"Yeah," Emily replied quietly, smiling down at the sleeping baby. "I just wanted a couple extra minutes. What are you doing up here? Where are the girls?"

"They're watching a movie with Mum," Alex shrugged, climbing up on her mothers' bed and crossing her legs as she faced her Mom. "I told them I'd be back down in a little bit. I was kind of hoping to talk to you."

"About that party that Olivia kept talking about in the car?" Emily asked with a grin, standing up so she could put Henry in his crib before joining Alex on the bed.

"No, but while we're on the topic it's just a pool party," Alex said. "Just the girls and guys teams plus some of our friends hanging out. Gabby's parents are going to be there."

"You can go," Emily smiled. "Just as long as I can drive you and pick you up," she added. "And as long as you promise that no matter what happens you will not drink. Got it?"

"Got it," Alex nodded with a smile. "But I swear there won't be alcohol."

"Okay," Emily replied. "I trust you. Now what did you really want to talk to me about?" She asked, leaning back against the headboard as Alex turned herself again so she was facing her.

"I wanted to talk to you about my birthday," Alex said, doing her best to keep eye contact with her mother and not resort to picking her nails.

"I thought we already did talk about that," Emily said sounding confused. "It's okay honey. I really do understand," she added, thinking the teen was still worried.

"It's not okay though," Alex shook her head with a sigh. "It's not okay, because I didn't think about you when I decided I wanted to ignore the whole day," she said. "I didn't consider how you would feel."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, doing her best to keep her face neutral.

"I mean…" Alex began, pausing as she considered her next words. "Sometimes I'm so focused on what I'm feeling…so wrapped up in my own feelings about everything, that I forget how my adoption affected you," she explained. "I didn't think about how you would feel about my birthday…about what that day meant to you," she said a little uncertainly.

"You talked to Mum about this didn't you?" Emily said, already knowing the answer. "She told you what I told her."

"Don't be mad at her," Alex quickly replied. "She just wanted to give me some things to think about. I really wish you would have told me though. I mean you're always pushing me to be honest about my feelings. You could have told me how much this means to you."

"No I couldn't," Emily shook her head. "I didn't want you to feel pressured or forced into anything," she explained. "Especially after you were so honest about how you feel."

Nodding, Alex ran her hand through her hair, biting her lip as she gave her mother's words careful thought. "I get that," she eventually nodded. "But I think I really needed to hear this," she said. "So it's a good thing that Mum did tell me. Because now you don't have to feel bad about saying anything," she paused, as Emily began picking her nails. "My birthday must have been a pretty hard day for you. I mean it couldn't have been easy."

"It was difficult," Emily replied softly. "When you…when you weren't here I thought about you all the time, but your birthday was always harder," she explained, deciding to be honest. "The memories were always fresher I guess. It always seemed more raw because I would just spend the day thinking about the day you were born and…and giving you away."

Reaching out and taking her mother's hand, Alex gave it a small squeeze. "You were excited for this year weren't you?" She asked even though she already knew the answer, having heard it from JJ.

"I was just looking forward to being able to give you the birthday I've always dreamed of giving you," Emily shrugged. "I just wanted it to be a happy day," she said. "But honey I completely understand how you feel. I understand that this year is hard for you, so it's okay."

"How did you spend last year?" Alex asked, ignoring her mother's comment, surprising the older brunette.

"The team wasn't away," Emily said, thinking back to last year. "I called in sick though. I slept terrible the night before so I didn't want to go in because I knew the team would notice," she explained. "I ended up staying in my pajamas all day and drinking a little too much wine," she admitted, though she hated telling her daughter.

"You know Mum made a really good point," Alex said, squeezing her mother's hand even tighter. "My parents wouldn't want me to keep mourning them. They wouldn't want me to sit around wishing they could be here, or being sad. They would want me to keep on living," she said. "And they would really want me to be happy with you. So maybe we can make it a happy day for _both_ of us."

"And how would you like to do that?" Emily asked.

"By spending the day with my family," Alex replied with a shrug. "In the backyard, by the pool….possibly with a barbeque," she smiled. "Because as much as I miss my parents, and as hard as it may be I think what will keep me happy, and help me remember how lucky I am, will be to spend the whole day with you, Mum, Henry, my friends, the team and whatever family wants to be here."

"Are you sure sweetie?" Emily asked seriously, looking her daughter in the eyes. "You don't have to do this for me you know."

"I know," Alex nodded. "I want to do it for us though."

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The party at Gabby's house had started late Saturday afternoon, all the guests starting out in the pool even though it was pretty cold. When lips started turning blue, and the shivering got to be too much, the teens began to remove themselves from the water; one-by-one getting out and drying off before running inside to change out of their wet suits.

Gabby's parents made burgers and hot dogs for everyone before leaving the large group of high schoolers to hang out in the pool house out back, where everyone was talking and laughing rather loudly. Alex was having a great time, hanging out with a couple girls from the team, rehashing the previous day's game with Spencer and Zoey by her side; Olivia having wandered off quite some time ago. It had gotten so loud in the relatively small pool house, that when someone had suggested they start a game of spin the bottle, Alex wasn't even sure who it was; though she suspected that her blonde friend had something to do with it.

Not really wanting to play, but not wanting to be the only one to sit out, Alex joined the group who was now forming a large circle; noticing that Spencer looked rather apprehensive as well, while Zoey didn't seem to mind. The game started off and Alex eventually felt herself relax, laughing along with everyone else as she watched her various friends kissing each other, some rather embarrassedly, and some enthusiastically. So when it came time for Alex's turn to spin, the brunette simply reached forward, giving the empty pop bottle a quick spin, sitting back as she watched it travel around and around the circle before eventually slowing down, landing on her best friend sitting next to her.

The room was immediately filled with 'oooohs', mostly from the boys in the room, while some of the other kids began to laugh.

"Yes!" Austin Kelly from the boy's soccer team immediately exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air rather immaturely. "You've gotta kiss her! Those are the rules."

"And it's got to be a real kiss," Jacob Forrester added, everyone now watching the two friends closely.

"Whatever," Alex replied, rolling her eyes as she turned to Spencer, who was looking a little nervous.

Not wanting to let the boys, or all the eyes in the room bother her, Alex focused her eyes on Spencer, giving her best friend a small reassuring smile as she shrugged in nonchalance before grabbing the taller brunette by the back of the neck and pulling her in for a kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**Well readers, here we are again! I had so many reviews for the last chapter, and I'm so glad that you all are so excited for Spencer/Alex. I'm really looking forward to writing this, but please be patient. It may be a little slow going. Really hope you enjoy this!**

 **-J**

 **Chapter 6**

As soon as her lips touched Spencer's Alex lost herself in the kiss, forgetting they were surrounded by people as she felt a spark she had never felt before. For a moment it was as if the whole room faded away, leaving just her and Spencer until the sound of cheering filled the room, breaking the trance. Pulling apart, both girls were breathing deeply, both looking shocked for a brief moment before remembering they were being watched and turning towards their friends, both trying to act normal.

"Happy?" Alex said, turning to the boys with a raised eyebrow, as if daring them to challenge her.

"Extremely," Austin smirked, Alex rolling her eyes and a couple other people laughing before the moment passed and someone else took a turn.

With the attention no longer on her, Alex chanced a glance at Spencer, quickly looking away when she found the other brunette looking back at her; both girls' cheeks turning red at having been caught. Feeling slightly embarrassed, and most definitely confused, Alex touched her fingers to her lips, swearing she could still feel them tingling as the taste of her friend's lip gloss still lingered.

Admittedly, Alex hadn't done very much kissing since she was still pretty young, but she knew as soon as her lips met Spencer's that this kiss was different. It wasn't like it had been when she kissed Logan. Though Alex had liked Logan a lot, she suddenly realized what people meant when they talked about feeling sparks when they kissed someone; something she had never experienced with Logan. As she realized this, Alex wasn't sure what to make of it, unsure if it was simply because Spencer was her best friend, or if it could possibly mean something else.

Still lost in her thoughts, Alex didn't realize anyone was talking to her, until Spencer reached out and grabbed her arm, successfully gaining her attention. "Sorry what?" Alex asked, immediately taking note of the fact that her friend still wasn't looking her in the eye.

"Zoey asked if we wanted to go get something to drink," Spencer said, as Alex looked over her shoulder at their darker haired friend, who was smiling a little awkwardly. "I think everyone's already gotten bored with this game."

"Oh uh yeah," Alex nodded, silently cursing herself as she tried to snap out of her shock. "That sounds good," she smiled.

"Great," Zoey said. "It's getting really hot in here. What do you think the odds of us convincing Olivia to get out of here soon are?"

"Probably not very good," Spencer replied as they all got up from the floor. "She's loving every minute of this," she said, nodding towards the blonde who was currently talking to one of the boys; both still sitting on the floor.

"I say we give her ten more minutes," Alex suggested. "I'll call my mom then and let her know we're ready. Liv will just have to deal."

"Works for me," Spencer said.

"Me too," Zoey agreed.

"Perfect," Alex smiled, following her friends towards where the drinks sat on a table.

Though she had been having a good time all night, Alex was suddenly more than ready to go home, glancing at Spencer as she realized that she had a _lot_ to think about.

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"So I've been thinking," JJ said Sunday morning as she and Emily sat in the family room after breakfast, Emily playing with Henry in his baby seat.

"Oh yeah?" Emily replied, not taking her eyes off her son. "About what?" She asked, assuming it was going to be about Alex's birthday again.

"About what we're going to do when I go back to work," JJ said, which got Emily's attention enough to have her tear her attention away from Henry. "I mean we don't really have all that much time. I'm going to be going back to work before we know it, and I think we really need to figure out what we're going to do about the kids."

"Yeah I know," Emily sighed. "And have you come up with anything to solve that problem?"

"Well I have, but I know you're not going to like it," JJ replied, looking nervous, as Emily suddenly looked away, trying to avoid eye contact. "Look Em I know you hate the idea of a nanny, but we need to be realistic here," she said, grabbing the brunette's chin and turning her head back towards her. "We just don't have anyone here we can leave the kids with. Especially Henry. I mean Garcia works such long hours when we're away, and my parents can't be expected to travel down here every time we get a case," she continued. "Our only real optio is to have someone who can live with us, that way they're with Henry all day, and they can stay with both Alex and Henry if we have to travel."

"I just…" Emily began, hesitating as she bit her lip. "I just worry," she eventually admitted. "I was raised by nannies and I just don't want our kids to feel the way I did."

"We're not the same as your parents Em," JJ said, taking Emily's hand in hers. "We're not going to let our kids feel the way you felt. We'll still be there for them, we're just ensuring that they have someone here to take care of them when we can't be," she said. "That doesn't make us like your parents. It's not the same thing at all."

Still biting her lip in thought, Emily was obviously considering this option carefully. "We would have to make sure we find someone we can trust," she eventually said. "I mean with everything we see on a daily basis, I'm not going to just allow some stranger to look after our kids."

"I know," JJ nodded understandably, trying to hide her smile. "Which is why I thought we could ask your mother," she said, carefully, unsure of how Emily would react. "It's just that, I imagine she had the same kind of concerns when she was hiring a nanny. I'm sure she could help us find a trustworthy agency. Or maybe she knows someone?"

"Probably," Emily sighed, barely containing an eye roll. "That's probably a good idea," she relented. "I'll uh….I'll give her a call later today."

"Thank you," JJ smiled, squeezing the brunette's hand. "I know this really isn't something that you're comfortable with. But I promise that it'll be okay. We'll make sure of it. Together."

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Alex couldn't sleep. After she had returned home from dropping her friends off with her Mom the night before, she had immediately excused herself; claiming to be tired and promising her mothers that she would tell them about the party in the morning. Making her way up to her room though, the teen knew that sleep likely wouldn't come easy, as she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened with Spencer. The two friends didn't say much to each other after their game of spin the bottle, instead sharing awkward glances when they thought the other wasn't looking; catching each other's eyes and quickly looking away.

So as Alex had gotten herself ready for bed and under her covers she desperately willed herself to fall asleep; instead tossing and turning as her mind continued to reel through the nights events, replaying the kiss over and over again. Not really sure how to feel or what to think, the young brunette was more than a little confused, all of her thoughts eventually exhausting her as she fell asleep in the early hours of the morning, only to wake again after just a couple of hours.

Knowing that attempting to get back to sleep was futile, Alex eventually dragged herself out of bed; giving Sergio a scratch behind his ear before pulling a sweater on over her head and making her way into the hallway. Feeling groggy, the teen sleepily made her way down the stairs, following the sounds of her mothers' voices into the family room where they were both sitting on the couch; JJ feeding Henry.

"Hey you," Emily greeted, smiling as Alex headed straight for her, immediately plopping down on her lap and dropping her head on her shoulder. "You still tired?" She asked with a laugh, rubbing her hand up and down her daughter's back.

"Couldn't sleep," Alex grunted, closing her eyes as her mother began running her fingers through her hair.

"Why not?" Emily asked in concern. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"No," Alex quickly replied, flinching slightly as she realized that she might sound like she was lying. "No I didn't," she repeated. "I just couldn't shut my mind off."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Emily asked carefully, unsure if the teen would keep up the honesty she had been giving her recently.

"I….I do," Alex said, nodding against the older brunette's shoulder. "But…I don't really know how."

"Alex," Emily said, using a finger under the teen's chin to force her to look up at her. "Honey you can talk to us about anything. You know that right?"

"I do," Alex quickly assured her. "I'm just…I'm kind of confused. I don't even know where to start."

"Well did something happen last night?" JJ guessed since Alex had seemed off when she returned home. "You were quiet when you got home."

Still unsure where to start Alex simply nodded, grateful for her mother's hand, which continued to rub her back comfortingly.

"Did someone do something to you?" Emily asked, worried that the teen may have been bullied again.

"No…not really," Alex said, hesitating before letting out a big sigh. "Last night when we were all hanging out, someone suggested we play spin the bottle," she finally began.

"Okay," Emily nodded, waiting for the teen to add more. "And did you not want to play?" She asked in confusion.

"No, I didn't really care about that," Alex shrugged, beginning to play with her mother's necklace.

"Then what is it?" JJ asked, unable to stand the waiting. "Did something happen when you played?"

"When I spun it landed on Spencer," Alex sighed, missing the brief, excited look on JJ's face. "As soon as it happened all the boys started acting really immature," she explained. "They said that we _had_ to kiss….that it had to be a _real_ kiss," she continued. "I didn't…I didn't care that I had to kiss Spencer. I mean she's my friend; it's no big deal. But the way the boys were acting," she rolled her eyes. "They were being so dumb, so I just wanted to show them that it didn't bother me…that I didn't care. So I just grabbed Spencer and I kissed her. Like I _really_ kissed her. And I just…it was…I…."

"You liked it," Emily finished for her, seeing the teen struggling.

"I did," Alex replied before once again hiding her face in her mother's shoulder as her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

"Lex, honey," Emily said, rubbing her hand up and down the teen's back. "You know that's okay. It's perfectly normal. You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I know that," Alex said, the tears evident in her voice. "I'm not embarrassed about it," she said, lifting her head and wiping away her tears.

"Then what is it?" JJ asked, as she moved to go lay Henry down, wanting to give her full attention to her daughter, as Emily continued to comfort the teen.

"I just…I'm just so confused," Alex admitted. "Which is why I couldn't sleep."

"Because you kissed a girl?" Emily asked.

"No," Alex shook her head. "Well maybe a little but it's more than that," she said. "I mean Spencer's my best friend. Kissing her was…it was different than when I kissed Logan. It felt different. Like a good different. And I just…I don't really know what that means."

"Well it only has to mean something if you want it to," JJ pointed out. "Did you talk to Spencer about it at all?" She asked, wishing she could share her knowledge about the taller brunette's feelings but not wanting to betray her trust.

"No," Alex was quick to reply. "We could barely look at each other but…but I think she might have…felt something too."

"Well that's good right?" Emily said.

"I don't know," Alex replied frustratingly, as another tear fell down her cheek. "I mean…she's my best friend."

"I know sweetie," Emily nodded understandingly, wiping the teen's cheek. "But you know your Mum and I were best friends before we got together. Remember? I believe you were the one who pointed out that there was more there than we thought."

"I know, but it's not the same" Alex said leaning her head against Emily's shoulder as the older brunette circled her arms around her waist. "You guys aren't 14. You're older. You were ready to raise kids together and get married. I'm just a kid! If I pursue some sort of relationship with Spencer and it goes poorly I'm going to lose my best friend," she explained. "Spencer's important to me. This is just…I don't know what to do now."

"Lex honey I think you need to slow down a bit," Emily said, kissing the side of her head. "You're worrying too much sweetie. You're planning your breakup before anything has even happened."

"But…" Alex began to argue, Emily immediately cutting her off.

"Just listen for a second," Emily said. "I think Spencer is a great girl and I know she's important to you," she said. "Which is why I think that if you have feelings for her, than they're worth pursuing, Or at least trying to figure out. The fact that you're 14 doesn't matter honey."

"But what if it didn't go well?" Alex asked with wide, worried eyes.

"Lex, friendships like yours and Spencer's are special," JJ told her. "They can handle anything. I really don't think you need to worry about that."

Nodding silently, Alex bit her lip considering this for a moment, obviously still worrying. "What if she didn't feel it?" She then asked quietly. "What if it was just me?"

"What if it wasn't?" Emily countered, hating how scared the teen looked. "What if she felt exactly what you felt? Honey you're never going to know unless you do something about it. Unless you ask," she said. "Right now the only thing you can do is talk to Spencer. She's the only one who can give you those answers."

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"So are you going to say it?" Emily asked JJ later that day, when Alex was upstairs doing homework, and they were sitting in the backyard with Henry.

"Say what?" JJ asked, quirking an eyebrow in confusion.

"That you told me so," Emily replied. "I mean you've been going on about Alex and Spencer for how long now? I think technically you called in on New Years."

"I did," JJ nodded with a small smile. "However nothing has really happened yet. They kissed, but they haven't discussed it," she said. "I'll save the I told you so for when things are a little more official."

"Oh and you're confident that's going to happen?" Emily laughed.

"I am," JJ replied. "I told you before, it's in the way they look at each other. They'll end up together eventually. Once they get past the confusion of it all."

"And you think that's a good thing?" Emily asked, her own worry evident in her voice.

"Of course I do," JJ was quick to reply. "Don't you? I mean we love Spencer. She's amazing."

"I know that," Emily sighed. "But Alex is right. They are best friends. And young," she said. "I know I told her that she should talk to Spencer, but what if Spencer didn't feel anything when they kissed? What if Alex ends up hurt because of this?"

"I really don't think we need to worry about that," JJ said, attempting to keep the fact that she knew something to herself, knowing Emily would likely see through her.

"And how do you know that?" Emily asked skeptically. "Do you know something?"

"No, of course not," JJ replied, a little too quickly, Emily watching her carefully.

"You know I can tell when you're lying Jen," Emily said. "Not even because I'm a profiler. I know you. You do know something don't you? Have you talked to Spencer?"

"No," JJ shook her head. "I just trust Spencer not to hurt Alex."

Eyeing the blonde, Emily still looked skeptical, holding JJ's gaze as JJ attempted to look normal. "I still don't believe you," she eventually said. "But I'll let it go this time because you're right. I trust Spencer too," she agreed. "So what do we do now? For Alex I mean."

"I guess we just be there for her," JJ shrugged. "Give her people to talk to when she needs to," she added as Emily nodded. "And we wait. And watch, because I truly think this will be the beginning of a great romance for her."


	7. Chapter 7

**So originally this chapter was going to include dress shopping with the girls, but things got a bit longer than I expected so I will save that for our next chapter. Meanwhile I hope you guys like this one!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! -J**

 **Chapter 7**

"So what do you and the big guy have planned for today?" Emily asked Tuesday morning as she was spending a few extra minutes with Henry before she had to leave for work. "Anything exciting?"

"Well I promised Garcia that I would look at some dresses so I have ideas for this weekend when we go shopping," JJ replied. "And I need to make some phone calls about caterers and what not, though it would be helpful if I knew where the wedding was going to be," she pointed out.

"I told you, you'll see it this weekend," Emily smiled. "We'll all go right after the dress shopping. "Just be patient a little longer my dear," she said, laying Henry back in his crib before moving to give the blonde a quick kiss. "I promise it will be worth it."

"Okay," JJ said with a small pout, sticking her tongue out when Emily poked her side. "Do you have any ideas about what you want to wear for the wedding? Or what Alex wants to wear for that matter. Did we settle whether or not her and Garcia are wearing the same thing?"

"I thought we agreed on same colour, different dress," Emily replied, biting her lip as she thought back to the last conversation she had, had with her fiancé's maid of honour. "I'm pretty sure that's what Pen and Lex wanted at least," she shrugged. "And as for me, I'm not entirely sure what I'm wearing but I was leaning towards a dress….probably white."

"Okay smart ass," JJ rolled her eyes. "I was only asking so we don't end up wearing the same thing," she said. "I mean I'm all for both of us wearing white dresses but I think it's a little weird if it's the exact same dress."

"I don't think you really need to worry about that," Emily laughed. "I mean our tastes tend to be a little different," she pointed out. "But if it makes you feel better I will have Alex check both dresses to make sure they're different."

"Alex? Why not Garcia?" JJ asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Because let's face it Alex is _way_ better at keeping a secret," Emily replied with a grin, knowing there was no way Garcia would be able to keep her dress a secret from JJ. "And I would really like our dresses to stay a secret until the day of the wedding."

"Good point," JJ laughed, before glancing at the time, noting that Emily had to leave soon. "I wish you didn't have to go. It's so quiet here when it's just me and Henry."

"Sorry baby," Emily said, wrapping her arms around the blonde and pulling her towards her, giving her a kiss. "But someone's gotta bring home the bacon."

"Yeah, yeah," JJ rolled her eyes, giving the brunette another quick peck. "Maybe I'll take Henry for a walk today. Get out of the house for a bit."

"I think that sounds like an excellent plan," Emily smiled. "And if all goes well, I will be home before you know it. So keep your fingers crossed that the serial killers give it a rest for just a little longer."

"Trust me baby even my toes are crossed at this point," JJ replied. "I'm pretty sure if you get called away and ruin our weekend of wedding planning I will have to personally hunt someone down."

Laughing, Emily shook her head, amused the blonde's antics, but feeling the seriousness behind the words. "Don't worry honey," she said. "I will do whatever I have to, to make sure we get out weekend."

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School was awkward on Monday for Alex. Even though she and Spencer had spent plenty of time together, neither of them mentioned their kiss, or the party Saturday night. Even Olivia and Zoey were uncharacteristically quiet about the night as neither of them brought up what had happened between their friends. Though Alex was unsure what to do, she decided to follow her friends' leads and simply act normal, eventually loosening up enough to go about her day as normal.

Still wanting to talk to Spencer about what had happened though, and not really knowing how, Alex had opened up to JJ after school; explaining what had happened and how she was feeling about it. So upon her blonde mother's advice, Alex invited Spencer to come over after school, telling her friend that she wanted to make study flashcards for finals; something she knew the taller brunette would want to do.

Though Alex was slightly nervous, she tried her best to remain calm, stopping to talk to JJ for a bit when they got home before leading Spencer upstairs to her room; receiving an encouraging nod from the blonde on her way. Though she knew she should talk to her friend right away, Alex decided to build up the courage first, discussing schoolwork for a while before they both eventually fell into a rhythm; falling silent as they wrote out their flashcards.

But as the silence became too much, Alex could no longer take it anymore. "Spencer."

"Alex," Spencer called out at the exact same time, both teens laughing. "You first," she said.

"Sorry I just…could we talk?" Alex asked, knowing she probably looked nervous.

"Sure," Spencer said, sitting up from where she was seated on Alex's bed, crossing her legs and looking at her friend expectantly. "What's up?"

"Well I was just thinking….I was hoping…" Alex began, struggling for the right words, her nerves getting the better of her as she felt her mouth getting dry, and her hands sweaty. "It's just that…I wanted to talk about…"

"The other night?" Spencer guessed, grinning slightly as Alex left out a sigh of relief since she wasn't sure if she would be able to get the words out herself. "I uh…I was kind of hoping that we could talk about that too," she admitted. "I just wasn't sure if that was something you wanted to talk about. I mean I thought maybe you just wanted to forget it."

"I thought that _you_ wanted to forget it," Alex said. "I kept trying to figure out a way to bring it up, but there didn't seem like a right time."

"Well now works for me," Spencer smiled, as Alex visibly relaxed. "So um where do we start?"

"Well, we kissed," Alex replied, as Spencer nodded.

"We did," Spencer said. "It was a game."

"Technically, yes," Alex agreed. "But it….it felt like more than that," she admitted nervously, putting her head down. "For me at least."

"For me too," Spencer replied quietly, causing Alex's head to shoot up in surprise.

"It did?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Spencer replied with a smile. "It felt like a _lot_ more than a game for me Lex," she said, pausing as she considered her next words carefully. "Look Lex I have to be honest, I was kind of excited when your spin landed on me," she said as her cheeks instantly reddening.

"You were?" Alex asked, once again sounding surprised. "But…why?"

"Because Lex," Spencer shrugged. "I like you," she said. "I like you as more than a friend. It was confusing at first. I mean we're so close and you're my best friend, so I wasn't really sure of what I was feeling, but it was hard for me seeing you with Logan. I mean I wanted to see you happy, but it wasn't easy," she explained. "And then I realized that the way I feel about you is different than how I feel about Olivia and Zoey and that's because I _like_ you," she shrugged again. "So yeah. I was excited when that bottle landed on me. And that kiss meant more to me than some stupid game."

"I…I had no idea," Alex said, getting up from her desk chair and moving to sit on the bed next to her friend. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"How could I?" Spencer countered. "I mean you were with Logan, and then you were going through all that stuff," she explained. "It just seemed like terrible timing and to be honest I just didn't think that you could possibly feel the same way."

"Well in all honestly I never thought about it before," Alex replied. "I mean you're my best friend but…then we kissed," she said, biting her lip. "And that kiss…that kiss was different. It wasn't like kissing Logan. It was…special. I mean I think I literally felt sparks," she admitted, feeling her cheeks get hot.

"Me too," Spencer smiled, taking Alex's hand in hers. "It was amazing," she said. "And honestly to hear that you felt it too is such a relief. But what does this mean for us? I mean you wanted to talk about this so does that mean…do you…are we…" she stuttered, trying to find the right words, but failing.

"I don't know," Alex interrupted, understanding what the other brunette was trying to ask. "I mean honestly Spence this is completely new territory for me," she explained. "And it makes me nervous because I care so much about you. You're my best friend and I would never want to jeopardize that but…"

"But?"

"But I can't stop thinking about that kiss," Alex admitted with a shrug. "So I don't think I can just sit back and pretend it didn't happen."

"Me either," Spencer replied, squeezing Alex's hand tighter. "So what do we do?" She repeated.

Biting her lip, Alex thought about her talk with her mothers, knowing the only way she and Spencer were going to figure out what exactly they had between them was if they tried.

"I think that we give things a try," Alex replied tentatively.

"Things?" Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"This," Alex said, looking down at their joined hands. "I think that we should go on dates. Have nights that are meant just for us…no Zoey and Liv," she said. "I think we should hold hands and kiss each other," she grinned. "But I think we need to do all this slowly," she said, meeting Spencer's eyes. "Because this is far too important to rush, and I think we need to both make sure that this is what we want. That this is _real_ , because we need to be friends first. I need to know that we won't ever lose that."

Nodding, Spencer smiled. "I think that sounds fair," she agreed. "I want this to work. But you're right. Our friendship is important and this is all very new. For both of us," she pointed out. "So slow is good. But I also have one other request."

"What's that?" Alex asked.

"I…I don't want this to sound weird," Spencer began. "But I think that while we do figure this all out, that we should maybe keep this to ourselves," she said. "I mean I'll want to tell people eventually, but not until we know for sure you know? Is that okay?"

"Of course," Alex agreed, having similar thoughts, since she wasn't sure how their other friends would react, and knowing that Spencer's parents would be a little more than challenging. "Except well…my moms kind of already know," she added quietly. "I mean I kind of talked to them after the whole kiss thing, since well…I mean it's something they understand."

"Oh that's fine," Spencer quickly assured her. "I mean obviously I didn't mean them. I mean JJ's known for a while now."

"What?" Alex asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well I told JJ I liked you a while ago," Spencer replied with a blush. "I needed some advice and I couldn't exactly go to anyone in my family," she said. "She didn't say anything when you told them?"

"No," Alex shook her head with a smile. "But that doesn't really surprise me. I'm glad you talked to her. My moms will always be there for you too," she said, knowing how hard it was for the brunette to talk to her own parents. "So we're going to give this a shot then? For sure? Slowly?"

"Yes," Spencer laughed. "I think we are," she grinned.

"Good," Alex said squeezing Spencer's hand. "Then I have one more question for you," she said, as Spencer raised her eyebrow in question. "Can I kiss you again?"

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"Mom's not home yet?" Alex called to JJ after walking Spencer to the door a little later that evening, with a big smile on her face.

"She texted me a few minutes ago," JJ replied as she paced the living room since it was the only thing that would keep Henry asleep. "She got stuck on a phone call so she's running late. She's going to pick up dinner since I haven't been able to put this little guy down in the last hour. He's apparently feeling needy tonight."

"Why didn't you come get me?" Alex asked, flopping down on the couch. "I would have helped with Henry. Or dinner even."

"I know but I didn't want to interrupt you and Spencer," JJ replied as a look of excitement crossed her face. "So are you going to tell me how it went? You aren't going to make me wait for your mom are you? Because I will totally act surprised later when you tell us together."

Laughing at her blonde mother's antics, Alex shook her head. "You really need me to tell you how it went?" She replied. "I mean you already know don't you? I'm pretty sure you knew before I did," she said with a smirk as realization dawned on JJ's face.

"Spencer told you she and I talked huh?" The blonde asked.

"She did," Alex nodded.

"I'm sorry honey," JJ immediately began. "I wanted to tell you when you came to us on Sunday but…"

"Mum you don't have to apologize," Alex interrupted. "I get it," she assured her. "Spencer came to you because she trusted you and I'm really glad you didn't betray that trust," she said. "Spencer doesn't exactly have anyone she can turn to at home, so I'm really glad that she has you and mom when she needs an ear."

"You know we love Spencer," JJ smiled. "We're always here for her. Which is exactly why I didn't tell you; I wanted to make sure she knew she could still come to me no matter what," she explained, pausing before breaking out into an even bigger smile. "So it went well then?"

"We're going to give it a shot," Alex nodded with a grin. "Although since we're both a little nervous about it, and still a bit confused, we agreed that we need to take it slow, while we figure out if this is really what we want."

"Well I think that sounds very sensible," JJ replied. "And mature."

"Thanks," Alex smiled. "So do I," she said. "But in the spirit of taking things slow, I kind of need to ask you and Mom a favour."

"What's that?" JJ asked.

"Well while we're trying to figure all of this out, we were kind of hoping to keep this to ourselves," Alex explained. "I mean it's kind of hard to explain it to the other girls until we know exactly what this really is. And well, Spencer's parents probably aren't going to understand this very well, so Spence kind of wants to work up to that as well," she said. "So since you and Mom already know about it, we kind of need you to keep it to yourselves. Like no telling anyone else in the family. Or the team."

"We can do that," JJ nodded understandingly with a smile. "It makes sense that you guys want to give yourselves time to digest this before other people are involved," she said. "But you two do know you'll have to deal with Spencer's parents eventually. Even if it isn't easy."

"I know," Alex replied. "And Spencer does too. She'll work up to it. Though she may need to have a talk with Mom beforehand. She would probably have some good advice."

"Most definitely," JJ nodded, knowing the Hastings weren't too different from the Prentiss'; or at least the Prentiss' during Emily's teenage years. "You know I'm really happy for you Lex," she then said, seeing the happiness in the teen's eyes. "I really hope things work out."

"Me too," Alex smiled, knowing she and Spencer had a lot to figure out, but feeling confident that they would work things out no matter what they decided.

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"You getting to sleep soon?" Emily asked later that night, as she stopped in Alex's room on her way to the master suite. "It's getting kind of late."

"I was just logging off," Alex replied, shutting down her laptop before making her way over to her bed, Emily following close behind.

When the older brunette had returned home from work she was anxious to hear about what had happened between Alex and Spencer, rushing into the family room with dinner in her hands, quickly passing out takeout containers before instructing Alex to start talking. Like JJ, Emily was happy for Alex and understood her and Spencer's desire to keep things to themselves for the time being. Emily liked Spencer a lot, and she truly hoped that things worked out for the girls, because she really felt that Alex had found her JJ.

"So today was a big day huh?" Emily said, sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed as the teen climbed under the covers.

"It was," Alex smiled. "And I must say I'm feeling pretty good about it."

"Good," Emily said, leaning over and kissing the teen's forehead. "You should feel good about it. I know I already said it, but I'm happy for you. And I really hope that you and Spencer work things out," she added. "Your Mum and I really hope that you'll come to us if you have any questions though; if you need any advice, or just need someone to listen. We're always here. For both of you."

"I know," Alex nodded. "And I'll make sure Spencer knows too."

"Okay," Emily replied. "And I know you and Spencer are friends first, but Mum and I do want to sit down later and discuss some ground rules. With both of you if you're up to it."

"Of course," Alex smiled, having been surprised her mothers hadn't given her a list of rules when she had told them in the first place. "I'm fine with that, just give me a chance to warn Spencer first."

"Deal," Emily laughed as she began fussing with the teen's comforter. "Alright kid well get some sleep. I love you," she said, leaning down and giving the younger brunette a hug and kiss.

"Love you too," Alex replied, watching as her mother began to walk away. "Hey Mom," she called out just as Emily reached the door, turning around to face her. "Thank you," she said, receiving a rather confused look in reply. "For always being here for me. For understanding and giving me advice," she explained. "For just…being you."

"Always," Emily smiled, before flicking off the light. "Goodnight sweet girl."


	8. Chapter 8

**A chapter strictly focusing on wedding planning! I hope you guys will enjoy it!**

 **Thanks for reading! -J**

 **Chapter 8**

"We are not doing pink dresses," Alex said, arguing with Garcia on the way to the dress shop early Saturday morning. "It's a fall wedding. We need something darker, navy blue, red, a dark purple maybe; not pink. It won't work."

"I'm with Alex," Emily agreed from the front seat where she was driving. "I don't think pink works Pen," she said, hating the idea of pink bridesmaids dresses. "I think a darker purple would be really nice though. You like purple."

"I do," Garcia nodded. "But not as much as pink. I just thought it would be nice if the dresses really popped."

"Well we don't want to take away from Moms," Alex countered. "I mean it's their wedding. They should be the centers of attention. We don't want to take away from that."

"Fine," Garcia agreed with an exasperated sigh. "I guess purple sounds nice."

"I think it'll look really nice," JJ smiled as she turned around to face Alex and Garcia in the backseat. "Now you two will just have to find the styles you like. We'll do your dresses first," she said, before turning her attention back to Emily, whose eyes were focused on the road. "Maybe I should call and check on Henry."

"Jen Hotch and Haley have a kid remember?" Emily reminded her, understanding that the blonde was anxious about being away from Henry, but knowing she needed to get used to it. "He's fine, and they would call us if he wasn't," she said. "They offered to babysit, so we don't want to offend them by making them feel like we don't trust them. Plus we're trying to get used to the idea of someone else watching Henry remember? You're going back to work soon."

"Don't remind me," JJ replied with a pout. "I'm already having serious doubts about that."

"You don't need to worry," Alex was quick to assure her. "I'll be there to make sure Henry is alright."

"Thanks honey," JJ smiled, though she didn't sound all that reassured.

"When does the Nanny shopping start anyways?" Garcia asked.

"Well Elizabeth sent us a list of names from the Agency she used to use," JJ replied. "So basically we just have to meet with them and see if we can find someone suitable."

"Someone you can trust you mean?" Garcia replied. "After Emily profiles them."

"Basically," Alex laughed. "Although I think I should get final say. I mean I'm the one who has to stay with a babysitter whenever you guys are gone. I don't want some boring old lady."

"I promise you we won't choose a boring old lady," Emily said, shaking her head with a laugh. "We'll find someone young and fun just for you."

"Thank you," Alex smiled. "Now do you two know what you're looking for today?" She asked, looking from one of her mothers to the other.

"Yes," JJ said at the same time that Emily said no.

"Well I mean technically I know I'm looking for a dress," the older brunette shrugged innocently.

"Great," Alex replied sarcastically, realizing she was going to have her work cut out for her trying to help her mother. "It's going to be a _long_ day."

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"I think this was a bad idea," Emily called out later that day from behind the curtain of her fitting room. "I'm not coming out."

"Mom you have to come out," Alex replied rolling her eyes, as the woman helping her mother stepped out of the fitting room and Emily immediately pulled the curtain back so she couldn't be seen. "How am I supposed to help you choose a dress if you won't even let me see what you look like? I let you see me in all those dresses. It's your turn now," she said, having tried on and modeled 5 different dresses before she found one she liked, while Garcia tried on at least 10. "Please don't make me come in there."

"Fine," Emily finally relented stubbornly, coming out of the fitting room with an unhappy expression on her face. "I think I'm having second thoughts on the whole dress thing," she said, gesturing towards the excessive amounts of white fabric surrounding her. "I feel like a snowman. I look terrible."

"Don't be ridiculous," Alex said, once again rolling her eyes. "You do not look terrible. You actually look great," she said, putting her hand up as she saw her mother ready to start to argue. "Don't get me wrong, this is _not_ your dress, but you don't look terrible. This dress is just a little too much for you; definitely not your style."

"Not even close," Emily agreed.

"Well you haven't really given me any idea of what your style is," the sales lady said from where she was still standing, listening to the two brunettes. "I mean if you give me some ideas then I could look for something that would suit you better."

"Well…I just…or….I…have no idea," Emily sighed. "God this is hopeless. We'll be here forever."

"No we won't," Alex laughed, shaking her head. "She needs something simpler, but classy," she began, her attention now focused on the sales woman. "I think she'd be much better suited in lace, and something with a sleeve. Not long, just capped," she said, biting her lip in thought. "Oh maybe an open back?"

"You know I think I may have something," the woman replied, a smile on her face as she immediately headed to the back in search of a dress.

"Umm what was that?" Emily asked with a confused look on her face. "Where the heck did that come from? How do you even know that much about wedding dresses?"

"Google is a wonderful tool," Alex shrugged, a smirk on her face. "I may have done some searches after you asked me to be your maid of honour. I know how much you hate shopping so I knew this would be a nightmare if you weren't prepared," she explained. "I just didn't think you would give up this quickly," she laughed. "I thought I had at least an hour before a meltdown."

"I was not melting down," Emily argued with a pout. "I am just way out of my element here. I'm not really sure why I thought I could do this," she sighed. "You really think I will look good in lace?"

"I think you'll look beautiful in lace," Alex smiled. "You need something not so poufy," she said, gesturing to the dress the older brunette was still wearing. "That thing is just way too big. You have a great figure. Something more fitted will look great on you."

"Thanks baby," Emily replied, just as the woman returned with a new dress in her hand.

"I think you're going to love this," she said, talking to Alex. "Come on, let's get you out of that then," she then said, leading Emily back into the fitting room.

Knowing it would be a few minutes before Emily was ready, Alex took a seat, shaking her head as she once again thought about her mother's reaction to the first dress. Excited to see Emily in her second dress though, Alex suddenly wondered how JJ and Garcia were doing, wishing she could see her Mum try on all her dresses as well, but happy that she would be able to see the final dress before the day was over.

"Well she's smiling," the sales lady said as she came out of the fitting room with a hopeful look on her face. "You just may steal my job young lady," she said, just as Emily came out, wearing the exact dress Alex had described with a sparkly belt around her middle.

"Wow," Alex gasped, suddenly speechless. "You look….it's….wow."

"You like it?" Emily asked, unable to hide the tears in her own eyes, overwhelmed by the feeling of wearing what she believed could be her wedding dress.

"I love it," Alex replied, finally finding the words as tears of her own filled her eyes. "You look beautiful mom. It's perfect."

"I've only tried one other dress though," Emily sniffed. "Don't you think that it's too fast? I should try more right?"

"No," Alex shook her head. "You've found the right one. It doesn't matter how long it took. That is your dress," she said tearfully.

"Good, now come over here and hug me before I really start crying," Emily said, opening up here arms, Alex immediately making her way over and falling into them.

"You look stunning Mommy," Alex whispered. "I'm so happy for you. I love you."

"Thanks baby," Emily replied, letting a few tears fall into Alex's hair. "I love you too."

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Though she was slightly hesitant, for Emily the fact that the dress had elicited tears from both her and Alex had been indication enough that she had found the right dress. Thrilled, Alex had sat and watched while the sales woman took measurements so they could make modifications to the dress; knowing they would need to make alterations as soon as possible since the wedding was only a few months away. It wasn't until another woman entered the room, telling Alex that JJ was requesting her presence, that either brunette thought about the fact that the blonde was in the other room; Alex immediately thrilled to be able to see her Mum's dress too.

"So Lex you going to give me some hints about Jen's dress?" Emily asked in the car, now on their way to see the venue she had chosen for their wedding.

"Not a chance," Alex quickly denied, a big smile on her face. "You will just have to wait till you meet her at the alter. "

"Aw come on," Emily said with a fake pout. "Just give me something little," she begged, while JJ rolled her eyes beside her.

"I'm not giving you anything," Alex shook her head. "Just like I'm not telling Mum anything either. The surprise will be the best part. I'm not going to ruin that!" She said. "Though I will say that you're both very lucky," she grinned, making both her mothers smile.

"Thanks honey," JJ said, reaching back and giving the teen's knee a squeeze.

"I can't believe you two let Alex see both of your dresses and I only got to see Jayje's," Garcia whined, crossing her arms over her chest, having complained about this fact quite a few times since they left the store. "It's not fair. I can keep a secret too," she said as Alex attempted to hide a snort, which immediately caused Garcia to glare at her. "I can!"

"Are you sure about that Pen?" JJ asked skeptically. "Because I'm pretty sure you were the one who blew the surprise for Morgan's birthday last year," she pointed out. "And you told Reid you were his Secret Santa before we did our gift exchange."

"And there was that time you ruined Hotch's anniversary surprise for Haley when she came in to the office," Emily added.

"Okay that one wasn't my fault," Garcia argued. "I got the weekends mixed up! I thought their anniversary had already passed and I was excited to hear about it," she explained. "I can keep some secrets! I would keep this one!"

"And as much as we believe that we're not going to risk it on this one," Emily replied. "You will just have to wait for the wedding like everyone else Pen."

"So speaking of secrets," JJ intervened before Garcia could say anything else. "Are you going to tell me where we're headed yet?" She asked Emily, still itching to find out where Emily wanted to celebrate their wedding day.

"No need," Emily smiled as they pulled into the long driveway of her old home. "We're here," she said, pulling up in front of the large Victorian house. "This is it," she smiled.

"Oh wow Em," JJ whispered. "It's beautiful."

"Where are we?" Alex asked. "What is this place?"

"This," Emily began with a smile, looking from JJ to Alex. "Is my old house."

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"Em this place is beautiful," JJ said, admiring the house as the walked back in from the backyard. "It's absolutely perfect. But can we really use it? I mean how did you pull this off?"

"Well turns out my mom knew the Gambles, who bought it from her and my dad," Emily explained. "When they heard my request they were more than happy to agree. They're going to be in France starting September 1st, so they're fine with it. Their son lives nearby and will have the keys and everything for us," she continued. "Do you really like it though? I mean it's okay if you don't. It was just a thought."

"Are you kidding? Em I love it," JJ quickly assured her. "I can already picture it. It will be amazing," she smiled as Emily immediately wrapped her arms around her. "Can I ask you a question though?" She then asked, tipping her head up to look at the brunette properly.

"Of course," Emily was quick to reply.

"Why here?" The blonde asked. "I mean I get that it's gorgeous and everything, but I just never would have guessed that you would want to have our wedding at one of your old houses…given your childhood and everything."

"This house is different," Emily replied with a shrug. "I wasn't a kid here. This house is where I grew up. Where I became an adult," she said. "I found out I was pregnant with Alex in this house. It's where we spent our time together," she said, unconsciously rubbing her stomach.

"Well even more reason to have our wedding here then," JJ said understandingly, tucking a piece of hair behind the brunette's ear. "I cannot wait to marry you," she said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Ditto," Emily smiled as Alex and Garcia returned with Mr. and Mrs. Gamble, all with smiles on their faces as well.

"Emsters you did a great job with this one," Garcia exclaimed giddily. "You guys are going to have the most beautiful wedding ever! I cannot wait!"

"Me either!" Alex agreed with a beaming smile. "I love it here. You really lived here when you were a teenager?"

"I sure did," Emily replied. "I spent many days holed up in my room here when I was pregnant with you. I would spend all day talking to you and singing and wondering who you were going to be," she shared with a smile.

"Really?" Alex asked, surprised, having not thought about her mom being pregnant with her in this house. "Can I see it? Your room I mean?" She asked, looking from her mom to Mr. and Mrs. Gamble; both of who nodded happily.

"Actually I'll come with you," Emily said, giving JJ's hand a squeeze before moving to put an arm around her daughter to lead her up the stairs with the Gambles.

As they all headed up the stairs, Garcia and JJ remained behind, both looking around the large front foyer in the house, imagining what it would look like filled with wedding decorations and flowers.

"So Sunshine what do you think?" Garcia eventually asked. "It's pretty great huh? How are you feeling?"

"Honestly?" JJ replied. "I feel like the luckiest girl in the world."


	9. Chapter 9

**Well my friends, this story is winding down. I've got for sure 2 more chapters planned after this one. The next one being Alex's birthday before the final chapter, which will set up the next story.**

 **But until then I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! -J**

 **Chapter 9**

"So are you going to tell me what you want for your birthday?" Emily asked later that weekend as she and Alex lounged together in the game room, while JJ and Henry were taking a nap. "I mean we're kind of running out of time here. I don't want to get you something you don't want."

"Honestly I don't really know," Alex shrugged, stretching out and laying her head in her mom's lap. "I would love anything you gave me, but I feel like I have everything I could ever want here," she explained. "I'm just happy to spend the day with you and Mum and everyone else," she smiled, having warmed up to the idea of a birthday party with all her family at home.

"Well Jen had a couple of ideas so perhaps I will let her do the shopping then," Emily replied. "She's been looking for reasons to get out of the house with Henry. I don't think she can handle doing housework all day long anymore. It's driving her crazy," she continued. "She's really looking forward to your birthday. And your soccer finals of course."

"Oh God," Alex groaned, closing her eyes and tossing her arm over her face. "Don't remind me. I've got practice every night this week. Coach wants me to start. I'm so nervous."

"Aw come on you don't need to be nervous," Emily quickly assured her, running her fingers through the teen's dark locks. "I don't know much about sports, but I know that you're good," she said. "You're really good. Your coach obviously sees that. You'll do amazing. And your Mum will be there cheering you on for sure."

"I hope you can come too," Alex said, quietly.

"Me too baby," Emily smiled. "But if we're away I will make Jen record it for me," she said. "Although if we're out of town Friday than that may mean that we won't be here Saturday, which really doesn't work for me. I refuse to miss your birthday."

"I won't hold it against you if you do," Alex told her, knowing her mother would do just about anything to be home the following weekend. "I know how important it is to you. We'll do something whenever you're home."

"Good," Emily said, still smiling as she leaned down and kissed the teen's forehead. "So how's it going with you and Spencer?"

"It's going well," Alex replied, a light blush creeping up her cheeks. "I mean not a whole lot has really changed yet. We still pretty much act the same….there's just…"

"Kissing?" Emily guessed, laughing, as Alex's cheeks got even redder.

"Well yeah," Alex admitted with a laugh. "But when we're with the girls we have to act like nothing has changed. It's weird keeping something like this from them. I feel strange. But neither one of us are ready to tell them," she explained. "I mean I don't even know what they'll think."

"I'm sure the girls will understand," Emily said, still running her hand over her daughter's head. "They might not even be all that surprised you know."

"Probably not," Alex laughed. "I mean I think they may have suspected it after the kiss at that party," she said. "I think telling them just seems so scary because it makes it real," she told her sounding uncertain. "I think we're both still confused and nervous, it's hard for us to let other people in."

"I know honey," Emily nodded. "Trust me I completely get it. I had the same struggles when I first came out," she said. "Don't feel like you have to tell people before you're ready though babe. You and Spencer are allowed to figure things out on your own. No one will hold it against you guys for keeping it a secret; especially your friends. They'll be happy for you when you do decide to tell them."

"I hope so," Alex replied, thinking a moment before eventually smiling. "Thanks Mom."

"For what?" Emily asked with a laugh, having no clue what the teen would be thanking her for.

"For the advice," Alex shrugged. "For being you."

"Anytime," Emily smiled. "Always."

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With their fingers crossed that Emily wouldn't be called away on a case, JJ and Emily scheduled Nanny interviews for late Monday afternoon. Hotch had given Emily permission to work a short day, rushing home with just a few minutes to spare before their first interview arrived. Though Emily was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of a nanny, the brunette had agreed to be open-minded, knowing she and JJ really had no other options unless one of them quit their job; which neither of them were prepared to do.

"Well that's two down," Emily said, flopping down on the couch next to JJ after walking their second potential nanny to the door. "So far this isn't looking too promising."

"Well we still have one more today," JJ reminded her. "And we can set up more if we really need to," she said. "I do think we're being a little too picky though. I mean I could tell that you didn't like both of them like two minutes into the interviews."

"Oh and you loved them?" Emily asked skeptically. "I mean you can't seriously tell me you want to leave the kids with either of those women," she said. "You said so yourself, Alex would have hated the first one, and that last one was _way_ too young. I mean she looked like she was Alex's age."

"She was 26 Em," JJ rolled her eyes. "And your mom told us that everyone in this has special training and have to get through a really intense clearance. I'm sure we could have trusted her with the kids."

"I don't care what kind of clearance she got through, I am not leaving our kids with a child," Emily replied stubbornly. "Let's just get through this next one. If it goes badly we'll read some more files and set up more meetings for Sunday or something," she said. "Who do we have coming next anyways?"

"Jessie Blue," JJ replied, grabbing a file off the coffee table and opening it up. "She's 35, so not a child," she said. "And she's originally from London. Looks like she worked security for like 6 years before she became a nanny. I actually think this is the file that you picked out."

"It is," Emily nodded. "I remember now. God I really hope this goes well. I so don't want to have to do this again," she said.

"Yeah but we can't pick someone Alex hasn't met yet," JJ said, reminding the brunette of the promise they had made their daughter. "She'll hate us. So if we like this one we'll have to either hope Alex gets home or have her come back for a second interview."

"True," Emily sighed, hating the whole process already. "Let's just get through this first though," she said just as there was a knock at the door. "I'll get that," she said, standing up and making her way towards the foyer, opening up the door to reveal a tall redhead with a smile on her face. "Jessie?"

"That's me," Jessie replied, her British accent immediately making the brunette smile. "You must be Emily. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too," Emily smiled, shaking the hand that Jessie was holding out. "Come on in," she said, leading the redhead towards where JJ was waiting. "This is my fiancé Jennifer," she introduced, the pair shaking hands before Emily gestured for everyone to sit down.

"Before we get started I must ask, Emily are you Ambassador Prentiss' daughter?" Jessie asked. "I thought it was a possibility when I saw your name, but now that I've seen you in person I'm even more sure. You look just like her," she said, as JJ held back a snort, knowing Emily would hate hearing she looks like her mother.

"You know my mother?" Emily replied sounding surprised.

"I was a part of your mother's security team for a year in London," Jessie explained. "It was one of my first jobs. I almost followed her to the States, but I ended up getting another job offer at home. It wasn't until I changed careers that I decided to finally make the move here."

"What made you switch careers?" JJ asked. "I mean security and being a Nanny aren't exactly the same thing."

"Well they actually are similar in a lot of ways," Jessie replied. "I mean you're responsible for someone's safety and wellbeing in both jobs," she said. "I actually decided to make the change after my last security detail. It was for another Ambassador living in England at the time. The family had a small son, who I just adored. I always loved children, but it just made me realize that I wasn't really enjoying my job anymore, outside of spending time with him," she explained. "So I decided to quit and I applied for the agency. Given my background it wasn't difficult and I've been able to work for a couple of great families."

"You know Jennifer and I work for the FBI," Emily told her. "Our jobs put us in some rather dangerous situations, and one of our biggest worries is that our work could follow us home, and put the kids in danger," she explained. "If we were to hire you we would need to know that you're prepared to protect the kids."

"Well I think that my background would have trained me for that," Jessie said. "I've had to deal with some pretty intense situations and I would always put the safety of your children first," she continued. "You have two right?" She asked, having received a bit of information on the couple when she had been given the interview.

"Henry's just a month old now and Alex will be 15 at the end of the week," JJ told her with a smile.

"Well as you've probably already seen in my file I do have experience with newborns," Jessie said. "And I actually have two younger sisters who are just 20 now," she explained. "So I've spent plenty of time with teenagers in the last ten years or so, so I'm sure Alex and I would get along well. And if you were to hire me I would obviously be here for whatever you need me for, whenever that may be. I know your jobs probably take you away from home a lot, but you can trust me to be here when that does happen," she continued. "And when you are here I'm still happy to help out with whatever else you need in terms of the housework, cooking, laundry; things like that," she said just as the sound of Henry's cries filled the room.

"That's Henry," JJ said, gesturing towards the baby monitor sitting on the table. "I better go get him."

"Oh could I come along?" Jessie asked hopefully.

"Of course," JJ smiled, Emily nodding as she watched the pair leave, knowing JJ was probably looking forward to talking with the Nanny on her own since she was still pretty nervous about leaving Henry at all.

Feeling like the interview was going rather well so far, something, which relieved Emily to know end; the brunette finally allowed herself to relax, leaning back against the couch just as the front door opened.

"Hey Mom," Alex called, dropping her stuff in the foyer before running into the family room, still decked out in her soccer uniform.

"Hey honey," Emily greeted, smiling as the teen leaned down to give her a kiss. "How was practice?"

"Intense," Alex replied before lying down on the floor, looking beat as she spread her arms and legs out so she looked like she was making a snow angel. "I'm completely beat. Where's Mum?" She asked.

"Upstairs with Henry and the woman who's probably going to be your new nanny," Emily replied, causing Alex to sit up rather quickly.

"Someone's still here?" She asked in surprised. "I thought I would have missed them all. Did you already hire her? What's she like? Is she nice?"

"We haven't hired anyone yet," Emily shook her head. "Although this one seems to have some potential. I'm pretty sure Jen likes her. She's nice. Good background. I think you'll like her," she said just as JJ and Jessie returned, the blonde carrying Henry with her.

"Someone is asking for his Mommy," JJ said as she came around the couch. "Oh hey Lex, I didn't hear you come home. How was practice?" She asked, handing Henry over to Emily before leaning down to kiss the teen.

"It was good. Exhausting, but good," Alex replied before focusing her attention on the redhead in the room. "I'm Alex," she greeted, standing up so she could properly introduce herself.

"Jessie," Jessie smiled as she shook the teen's hand. "It's very nice to meet you Alex. You play football I take it," she said, gesturing towards Alex's uniform. "Or sorry it's soccer here right?"

"Right," Alex nodded with a smile, instantly liking the tall woman despite the fact that she didn't want to have a nanny. "My team's last game is on Friday. I'm starting, so this week is pretty intense with practice every day."

"Well you must be pretty good then," Jessie said, both Emily and JJ watching the interaction between the redhead and their daughter carefully; knowing that Alex's opinion would be a huge deciding factor in the whole process.

"I guess," Alex shrugged. "I mean I'm the youngest on the team, so it's a pretty big deal that I get to start. It's kind of intimidating actually and I'm super nervous, but I also can't wait," she explained with a smile.

"Well I'm sure you'll be amazing," Jessie replied. "I bet it will be quite a sight to see."

"You should come," Alex then blurted out, both of her mothers stifling laughs since the teen had been so adamant that she would hate having a nanny. "I mean if you want. You don't have to. I just thought….I would offer," she said awkwardly, her cheeks reddening as she threw a glare towards her mothers.

"Well," Jessie began, turning towards Emily and JJ, unsure if she would be welcome at the game since she still didn't know if the couple was hiring her or not.

"You should come," Emily nodded, understanding the woman's silent question. "I mean we still have to discuss all of this," she said, gesturing towards her and JJ. "But we would love for you to join us on Friday. We can let you know our decision then," she said, feeling pretty sure that both JJ and Alex would be voting yes.

"Well then, it's a plan," Jessie smiled. "So I guess if you don't have anymore questions, I will be seeing you Friday?"

"We'll see you then," JJ replied, smiling as she stood up, waiting as everyone said their goodbyes before walking Jessie to the door and then returning to the family room. "So? Is it safe to say we've found our nanny?"

"I like her," Alex shrugged, knowing that's all her mothers really needed from her.

"I do too," Emily agreed, confident that Jessie was someone they could trust leaving their children with. "But I'm still having Garcia do a full background check first."

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"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" Spencer asked Alex Thursday night, as the pair lay together on Alex's bed, playing with a strand of the other brunette's hair.

"Nervous and excited," Alex replied, allowing her eyes to close as the feeling of Spencer playing with her hair relaxed her. "Part of me can't wait to just get it over with and the other part of me is dreading it. It's basically how I felt when I played Dorothy," she said.

"You're going to be amazing," Spencer was quick to assure her. "I can't wait to watch. Is your mom going to make it?" She asked since Emily still wasn't home from the case the team was called away on, on Tuesday.

"I'm not sure," Alex replied opening her eyes and turning her head towards the taller teen. "I haven't talked to her yet today. But either way I'll be okay with whatever happens," she said. "I mean Mum's coming and I have you and the girls and JJ's family. Plus Jessie is coming too."

"Oh yeah," Spencer said. "I forgot I get to meet the nanny. That's pretty exciting."

"Yeah, she passed Garcia's intensive background check so Moms are officially hiring her at the game," Alex explained. "And as much as I didn't want a babysitter, I think she's pretty cool. So at least it won't be too bad," she said, catching JJ walking past her open bedroom door out of the corner of her eye. "Mum you can just come in here and stop checking on us," she called out, having seen the blonde pass her room at least 3 other times in the last hours. "We're just talking."

"I know that," JJ replied, returning to the doorway with Henry. "I wasn't checking on you guys, I was just taking Henry for a walk," she said rather unconvincingly.

"Sure you were," Alex laughed as both she and Spencer sat up as JJ came into the room. "You know we weren't breaking any rules. You said I just had to keep the door open when we were in here together."

"I know that," JJ said as she took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I trust you girls. I was just…trying to walk around so Henry might fall asleep and…I was spying on you," she laughed. "Sorry. It's just new. I'm not usually this neurotic."

"It's okay we get it," Spencer laughed as Alex nodded her agreement. "Hey can I hold him?" She then asked, gesturing towards Henry.

"Of course," JJ smiled, gently handing Henry over to the teen just as the sound of the front door opening filled the house.

"Honey, I'm home," Emily's voice called from downstairs.

"Mom's home?" Alex said in shock. "We're up here!" She called. "Did you know she was coming?" She asked, looking towards JJ as Emily's quick footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs.

"No idea," JJ said, unable to hold back a smile at the obvious joy on her daughter's face.

"You're home," Alex exclaimed as soon as Emily was in the room, immediately standing on the bed and jumping into the older brunette's open arms as soon as she was close enough, not caring that Spencer was watching.

"Did you miss me?" Emily asked with a laugh, breathing in her daughters scent as she hugged her close.

"I didn't think you were going to be home," Alex replied. "I'm so excited!"

"I told you I wasn't going to miss tomorrow," Emily laughed. "I would have went and hunted that guy down myself if I had to," she said, kissing the teen's head before pulling back. "But lucky for me Morgan did most of the butt kicking this time so we can all be there tomorrow."

"Even Garcia?" Spencer asked with a smirk as Emily gave JJ a kiss hello before going over to say hi to Henry.

"Oh she'll be there with bells on," Emily smiled, giving Spencer a kiss on the head as well. "Literally."

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Emily wasn't kidding. Garcia had actually shown up to the soccer field carrying a cowbell, excited to cheer Alex on as she donned a shirt with a picture of the teen on it. And though she was tempted to pretend not to know the rambunctious blonde, Alex did her best not to be embarrassed by her large family presence; as the sidelines were surrounded with her friends, mothers, JJ's family, her grandmother, the team and her newly hired nanny.

"You've got quite the crowd there Campbell," one of her teammates pointed out halfway through the game, which was currently tied. "They're like the loudest people here."

"Yes they are," Alex agreed with a laugh. "What do you say we give them something to cheer about?" She then said, sharing a smirk with her teammate before both ran down the field.

The game was an intense one, the teams matching each other goal for goal. Alex had been the one to score the very first goal, which had caused her small crowd of fans to go crazy, while also getting the teen pumped up; suddenly losing her nerves as she followed the ball up and down the field. And though she was the team's youngest player, it soon became clear to the opposing team that she was one of the best as she was constantly stealing possession of the ball and had assisted in both of her teams other two goals.

So as time began to wind down, and Alex continued to play just as hard as she had been throughout the whole game; with the score still tied, the other team began to tire of the freshman. So with just two minutes left, as Alex once again stole the ball and took off down the field the other team had, had enough; one of the opposing players following close behind, speeding up before eventually sliding into Alex, taking out her left ankle and making her fall to the ground. The whistle was immediately blown as the referee called a foul, Alex clutching her ankle as her teammates came over to check on her.

Concerned, Emily and JJ were on their feet right away; both prepared to make their way out onto the field if they were needed. But just as Emily was ready to go out, Alex stood up, shaking out her ankle and nodding that she was okay.

"She's definitely hurting," JJ said, watching the way the teen took delicate steps back towards the ball. "But there's no way she's going to take herself out. Not now. She gets a free kick."

"Of course she has to take after me," Emily sighed, knowing her daughter was about to run on her ankle no matter how much pain she was in.

"Well there's only like a minute thirty left," JJ said, taking Emily's hand in hers. "She'll be okay."

Once again shaking out her ankle, which was throbbing, Alex braced herself as she got ready to take her free kick; taking a deep breathe as the ref dropped the ball in front of her. Taking a few steps back Alex looked up, envisioning where she wanted the ball to go; ignoring the pain in her ankle as she ran towards the ball, giving it a swift kick, which headed straight for the top corner of the goal, easily making it's way past the goalie.

The cheers erupted straight away, Alex surrounded by her teammates within seconds; arms thrown around her as she resisted the urge to jump in celebration.

"We've got this now," someone shouted. "Just over a minute left. We've just got to hold on. Alex are you okay to play?" She asked.

"I'm good," Alex lied with a nod, unwilling to miss the last minute of the game. "I'll be fine," she said, as they headed for the center of the field.

"She's going to keep playing," Emily said from the sidelines where she stood between JJ and Spencer, the rest of their group now on their feet as well.

"Of course she is," Spencer shook her head, watching the grimace on Alex's face as she put pressure on her ankle. "She is so stubborn."

"Just like her mother," JJ laughed, everyone now watching the game with the breaths held, hoping the team would keep their defense strong for the next minute so they could come away with the win. And play strong they did, the entire team fighting to keep the ball away from their goal for the remaining 90 seconds until the final whistle blew and everyone once again broke out cheering.

Alex was obviously elated, a huge grin on her face as she celebrated with the whole team. And though she was still in pain, Alex remained with the team, shaking hands with the opposing team and receiving their medals before she was able to make her way over to her large group of family, who was still waiting for her.

As she made her way over, Alex was immediately congratulated, pulled into hugs by the various family members and friends, as she tried to seek out her mother.

"How bad?" Emily asked, when she finally reached the teen, wrapping her arms around her.

"About a six," Alex replied, the pain obvious in her voice. "Maybe a seven."

"You did so great sweetie," JJ said, joining the hug. "But I think we need to get to the hospital."

"I think so too," Alex replied with a groan. "Can you get Morgan to carry me?"


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello Friends!**

 **So sorry that this update has taken me so long! I've been really busy with work, but I have been doing my best to write as much as possible.**

 **There will be one last chapter after this, which will set up my next story (which I am so excited to write). So thanks for being so patient with me!**

 **Hope you enjoy! -J**

 **Chapter 10**

"Alright careful there, watch the step," Emily instructed as she led Alex into the house late Friday night, the teen doing her best to maneuver her crutches rather drowsily. "Jen can you grab the door?"

"Got it," JJ replied, opening up the front door to the house and holding it open so Alex could enter first, followed closely by Emily who was making sure the teen didn't lose her footing. "Home sweet home."

"Oh my gosh!" Sandy exclaimed as she came around the corner when she heard the door open. "You poor thing! Are you okay?" She asked upon seeing the crutches.

"It's sprained," Alex replied glumly. "Pretty badly."

"And it's huge," Emily added, placing a hand on the teen's back. "Completely ballooned up since she insisted on running on it even though she was in pain."

"I told you, there was only a minute left Mom," Alex replied sounding annoyed. "I wasn't walking away with so little time."

"Don't worry Lex, I understand," JJ said, kissing her forehead. "And trust me, if it was your Mom during a case, she totally would have kept running on it no matter how much pain she was feeling," she said, just as Andrew, came around the corner carrying a sleeping Henry, Spencer appearing behind him with a shy look on her face.

"Oh you're home," Andrew said with a smile. "I was just bringing him up to bed. I gave him his bottle already."

"Perfect," JJ smiled. "Thanks so much. I'll come up with you," she said, following her father towards the stairs

"What are you doing here?" Alex finally asked, turning her attention towards Spencer, who had yet to say anything. "Shouldn't you be at Olivia's?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Spencer replied quietly. "I told the girls I would just see them tomorrow," she explained, resisting the urge to approach the brunette since Sandy was there.

"Well we need to get Alex up to bed," Emily said. "The pain pills have been making her a little fuzzy and we've got to get her ankle elevated. And iced," she said. "Will you help me get her up?" She asked Spencer, who nodded gratefully. "Sandy thank you so much for your help tonight. Do you need anything else?"

"No, no I'll be fine," Sandy quickly assured her. "You take care of Alex, " she said. "I think Lily is already asleep so I'll just hang out with Sara and Adam for a while before bed. We'll see you all in the morning."

"Sounds good, thanks Sandy," Emily smiled before turning her attention back to her daughter. "Alright kid, do you think you can manage the stairs?"

"I could sleep on the couch," Alex said, looking up at the stairs, which suddenly seemed incredibly daunting.

"You'll be more comfortable in your bed," Emily replied. "Here give Spencer your crutches," she said, waiting until the taller teen took the objects, before scooping Alex up off her feet.

"Well this isn't the least bit embarrassing," Alex said sarcastically, wrapping her arms around her mother's neck before resting her head on her shoulder, obviously exhausted.

Smiling, Emily simply kissed Alex's head, carrying her up the stairs and into her bedroom where she placed the teen on her bed. "Spencer can you help her get her ankle elevated? I'm just going to go get some ice."

"Sure," Spencer nodded, grabbing a pillow off Alex's window seat as Emily headed back downstairs. "Are you okay?" She asked as she placed the pillow underneath Alex's ankle.

"I'm alright," Alex shrugged. "Mostly just annoyed that I have to use those things for like a week," she said, gesturing towards the crutches, which were now leaning against the wall.

"I guess it's a good thing the soccer season is over huh?" Spencer smirked. "You were amazing by the way."

"Thanks," Alex replied with a blush. "I kind of wish I had another chance to face that girl who tripped me though," she yawned. "I'd love to give her a swift kick in the shins. She totally took me down on purpose. What a bitch," she said, making Spencer laugh.

"She foolishly thought it would take you out of the game," Spencer smiled. "Boy was she wrong. Cost her the game too. Bet she's feeling pretty stupid right about now," she said, tucking a piece of hair behind Alex's ear, as the shorter brunette's eyes began to drift shut.

"Totally," Alex smiled sleepily. "You know you didn't have to wait here for me. You could have went to Liv's."

"I know," Spencer replied, continuing to play with Alex's hair. "But I needed to see you," she said. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"You're sweet," Alex smiled, her eyes still closed. "I am glad I got to see you," she said, squinting open her eyes. "And you know there's something you could do for me that would make me feel better."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Spencer laughed.

"Well I could use a kiss," Alex grinned, Spencer rolling her eyes.

"Well if it will make you feel better," Spencer said before leaning over and meeting Alex's lips.

Expecting a light peck, Spencer was surprised when Alex grabbed her shirt and deepened the kiss. Lost in the feeling of their joined lips, neither girl heard anyone enter the room until Emily cleared her throat from the doorway.

"Sorry," Emily apologized, holding back a laugh as both girls pulled apart, Spencer looking extremely embarrassed while Alex simply shrugged sleepily. "I hate to break this up, but I think it's time to get this one to bed," she said, gesturing towards Alex. "But we'll see you tomorrow?" She said to Spencer.

"I'll be here," Spencer smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow crazy girl," she whispered, leaning over and giving Alex another quick kiss before heading for the door. "See you tomorrow Emily," she said, her face still red, as she avoided the mother's eyes.

"Bye Spencer," Emily smiled, watching the teen leave before going to grab a pair of pajamas from Alex's dresser before making her way over to the teen. "How are you doing there sleepyhead?" She asked, moving to change Alex out of her soccer uniform and into her pajamas, figuring she would help the teen shower in the morning since she was obviously feeling the effects of the medication she had been given.

"I'm feeling pretty good now," Alex replied with a smirk, sitting up so her mother could change her shirt for her.

"I bet you are," Emily laughed. "You know Spencer's a pretty great girl."

"The greatest," Alex agreed, making Emily smile.

"Alright kiddo, you get some rest okay," the older brunette said, leaning over to kiss the teen's head. "I'll come take the ice pack off your ankle in a little bit. Sleep tight and just yell if you need anything okay," she instructed. "I love you."

"Love you too," Alex yawned, Emily making it all the way to the bedroom door before she was stopped. "Mom," Alex called out. "Could you stay?"

"Sure baby," Emily smiled, flicking off the bedroom light before returning to the bed, lying down beside her daughter. "Sweet dreams my love."

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When Emily opened her eyes the next morning it was to find Alex still fast asleep beside her, hair covering her face. Automatically brushing the hair away from the teen's face, Emily suddenly remembered the day, smiling to herself as she realized that for the first time since the day Alex was born, Emily was able to be with her for her birthday. Overwhelmed with happiness, Emily leant forward, placing a kiss on the teen's head and pulling back to find brown eyes staring back at her.

"Happy birthday baby," Emily said, leaning forward to give her another kiss as Alex wrapped her arms around her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Mommy," Alex replied, squeezing her mother tightly before finally letting go.

"How's the ankle?" Emily asked.

"Sore," Alex said rolling her eyes. "I would sprain my ankle the day before my birthday. I have terrible luck."

"Yeah you kind of do," Emily laughed, running a hand over Alex's head. "But I promise you're going to enjoy your day today even if you can't walk much. I will help you around and everyone will be here to celebrate with you."

"Thanks," Alex smiled. "But for now do you think I could take something for the pain? And possibly get some more ice?" She asked, sitting up so she could see her ankle, which was still rather swollen.

"Of course," Emily replied. "I've got something I need to get for you anyways. I will be back in a minute," she said, kissing the teen's cheek before heading for the hallway.

Now alone, Alex grabbed her cell phone off her nightstand, finding messages from all her friends wishing her a happy birthday. Writing her thank you replies, Alex didn't hear Emily return until her bedroom door was closed.

"Now we only have a few minutes before the rest of the family invades and I have to share you," Emily said. "Especially Lily," she laughed. "So take these," she said, handing the teen a couple pain pills before placing an ice pack on her ankle. "Now there's something I want to give you while I've got you alone."

"I thought we were waiting till everyone was here for presents," Alex said, having been told many times by Garcia that she wanted to see everything the teen was given.

"This is different," Emily replied. "It's….it's something special. Just for you," she said, handing the teen a stack of envelopes.

"What is this?" Alex asked, the look of confusion written all over her face.

"This is something I always promised myself I would give you if I ever got the chance," Emily replied. "This is how I spent this day the last 14 years," she explained, Alex still looking slightly confused, Emily realizing she needed to explain better. "Every year on your birthday I would buy a card," she said. "I would write you a note, seal the envelope and put it in a drawer, hoping that one day I would get the chance to give them to you or find a way to send them to you. And now you're here with me, and I still can't really believe it. But I am so happy and I want you to have these," she said, placing a hand over the teen's as they held the stack of 14 envelopes together. "This day means a lot to me Alex. And I love you so much."

"I love you too," Alex replied emotionally, tears filling her eyes. "Do I…should I read them now?"

"You can read them whenever you want," Emily said. "It doesn't have to be now. I just wanted you to have them today."

"Thanks Mom," Alex smiled. "This is…this is the best gift. I can't wait to read them," she said, throwing her arms around the older brunette's neck. "I'm so glad you're here with me."

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Breakfast that morning had been a hectic affair, as Sandy made pancakes for the whole family, who were all excited to wish Alex a happy birthday. Lily was even more enthusiastic than usual, immediately attaching herself to Alex' side so she could tell her how excited she was for the birthday party that afternoon. Swept up in all of the excitement, Alex was able to forget about the pain in her ankle, happy to be surrounded by family.

When breakfast was finished, nearly two hours later, Emily had volunteered to help Andrew and Adam with the cleanup while Sara took Lily to get cleaned up and Sandy went to relax with Henry. Knowing the teen would need help getting back upstairs so she could get ready for her party, JJ offered to help Alex, assisting her slowly up the stairs. Helping her get set up in the bathroom so she could shower, JJ eventually left Alex to get washed up, waiting until she was called back before helping the teen back to her bedroom.

"I don't know how I'm going to get around school with these things on Monday," Alex said, sitting down on her bed looking like she was breathing hard. "It's so much work."

"You'll get the hang of it," JJ laughed, grabbing Alex's brush off her dresser before sitting behind the brunette and running it through her hair. "Just be grateful that soccer season is over."

"Oh trust me I am," Alex replied. "I don't think I would have been able to handle not playing," she laughed. "Sucks that I have to spend today like this though," she said as JJ began wrapping her ankle with a tensor bandage for her.

"I know sweetie," JJ smiled. "But at least you'll still get to enjoy the day. I mean it's beautiful out. You can still swim with everyone. You just need to be careful."

"I know," Alex sighed. "I will be. And I am excited for everyone else to get here. It'll be fun. Even if my ankle is abnormally large."

"Don't worry we won't judge you for that," JJ laughed, taking a seat next to the teen. "I don't want to bum you out or anything because you seem so happy this morning, but I really did want to check in and make sure you were doing okay today," she said. "I mean originally you really wanted to ignore today, and I remember my first birthday after my sister, so if you need to talk…"

"Mum," Alex interrupted the blonde's rambling. "I'm okay," she assured her with a laugh. "I mean I miss my parents. And I really wish they could be here, but I feel a lot better than I thought I would," she explained. "I think part of it is having your whole family here. And mom gave me those cards this morning. It's all just reminding me how lucky I am to get to be here with you and Mom….how lucky I am to have such an amazing family."

"I think we're the lucky ones," JJ replied with a smile, putting an arm around the brunette and pulling her close, just as a figure appeared in the doorway.

"Hi, sorry," Spencer said with a small wave. "Emily told me to come up. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh you didn't," JJ quickly assured the teen. "I should actually head down and help get everything ready anyways," she said, leaning in to kiss Alex's cheek. "Happy birthday baby." She whispered before getting up to head towards the hall. "Come join us whenever you girls are ready, but take your time," she smiled before leaving.

"Hey," Alex greeted with a big smile.

"Hi," Spencer grinned, making her way towards Alex, immediately leaning down and giving her a kiss. "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," Alex replied, grabbing Spencer's hand and pulling her to sit down beside her. "I wasn't expecting to see you till later."

"I was going to come with the girls but I wanted to come early," Spencer replied. "I knew if I waited I wouldn't get a chance to spend any alone time with you. And I didn't want to miss that."

"Because you wouldn't get any kisses," Alex joked with a goofy grin on her face, leaning forward and stealing another kiss from the brunette.

"That's definitely one of the reasons," Spencer laughed. "But also because I wanted to give you this," she said, reaching down and pulling a small gift-wrapped box from out of her purse. "I wanted to get to watch you open it alone; just you and me," she said handing the present to Alex.

"Thanks," Alex smiled, carefully tearing open the wrapping paper, revealing a small black box, which she immediately pulled the lid off of; gasping as she revealed a silver bracelet with a small heart charm on it. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

"I got a matching one too," Spencer said, holding out her own wrist where the same bracelet was sitting. "I thought they could be friendship bracelets," she said. "Because no matter what's happening between us, ultimately you're my best friend," she continued, taking Alex's hand. "And for me that's what's most important; that you're always my best friend," she smiled. "Though if anyone else gets a close look at it they might notice that it's a bit more than friendship," she said, turning over the charm so Alex could have a closer look at the _A+S_ that was engraved there.

"It's perfect," Alex replied, doing her best not to get choked up. "Will you put it on?" She asked, holding out her wrist, Spencer immediately taking the bracelet and putting it on for her. "Thank you," she said, leaning forward and giving the brunette another quick kiss. "This is amazing," she said admiring the new piece of jewelry. "You know you're my best friend Spence. And you always will be because you are the most amazing friend. But I must say you're an even more amazing girlfriend," she said, smiling at the look of surprise on the other brunette's face since it was the first time she had referred to her friend as her girlfriend.

"Girlfriend huh?" Spencer finally said with a smile. "I like the sound of that."

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The BAU, Alex's friends, Jessie and Elizabeth Prentiss all invaded the Prentiss/Jareau household in the early afternoon. The entire group was extra excited to celebrate the day, since for all of them, like Emily, it was the first time they were able to celebrate a birthday with the young brunette who was so important to them.

The fun had started right away, the girls, along with Lily, Adam and Morgan immediately deciding to go swimming, not caring if the water was still slightly cold. With Emily's help, Alex had gone upstairs to change, Morgan eventually carrying her into the pool where she was easily able to float around with her friends.

The rest of the guests gathered around the yard, watching the swimmers while talking and laughing amongst themselves.

"So what's going on with your girl and Spencer?" Morgan asked Emily, about an hour later, coming up behind her still dripping wet as she placed snacks on a table.

"What do you mean?" Emily asked, doing her best to look confused, though she knew her friend would see right through it.

"Well they seem pretty cozy," Morgan replied, nodding his head toward the pool where Alex was currently hanging off of Spencer's back, which to most people would look like two friends goofing off in the pool, but obviously looked like more to the trained profiler.

"Well they're best friends," Emily said, immediately receiving a disbelieving look from her fellow Agent. "They haven't told anyone yet," Emily sighed, knowing Morgan wouldn't let it go until she gave up what she knew. "How could you even tell?"

"Oh please it was easy," Morgan rolled his eyes. "I mean they've been making the same doe eyes that you and Blondie used to make at each other all day. I'm glad they finally figured it out though," he smiled. "I mean I kind of wondered."

"Yeah so did Jen," Emily laughed. "I on the other hand didn't anticipate it, but I'm glad she's found someone like Spencer," she said. "She's happy and that's all that matters to me."

"I know," Morgan smiled, putting an arm around his friend just as JJ came back outside from changing Henry.

"Hey you better watch those hands buddy," the blonde called with a smirk, Emily rolling her eyes before ducking out from under Morgan's arm and following her fiancé.

"So it looks like she's having a pretty good day," Emily said, wrapping her arm around JJ's waist and kissing Henry's head. "I say this has been a pretty successful first birthday together."

"It's been great," JJ smiled, resting her head on the brunette's shoulder. "I don't think you could have given her a better day, and it's not even over yet," she pointed out. "And how has it been for you? Is it everything you dreamed it would be?"

"It's better," Emily replied, pressing a kiss to the blonde's head. "I don't think I could have ever dreamed up all of this," she said, looking around at their large group of friends and family. "I never dreamed I would be so lucky as to end up with someone like you; that we would have this amazing family. This is better than anything I could have ever dreamed of."


	11. Chapter 11

**So my last week of vacation of the year has begun and I spent my day writing! This chapter is a little short but, it's really the lead into my next story, which I'm really excited to start.**

 **One guest had requested a little Emily/JJ date time, so I tried to throw some in. It's a little short, but it wasn't in my original plan so I hope that it's okay!**

 **I also just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone has been reading! You guys are truly amazing and I love you all!**

 **With that being said, I would like you to try and remember that I love you when you get to the end of this chapter. Because trust me the next story is going to be a big one!**

 **Thanks so much for reading! -J**

 **Chapter 11**

After Alex's birthday time seemed to pass quickly, as Alex sailed through finals and summer break began. The teen was off her crutches in just over a week, and was grateful to be back on two feet so she could spend her summer playing soccer in the local recreational league.

For JJ time had passed too quickly, the blonde torn between wanting to stay home with Henry and wanting to return to work. But since she needed to rip the band-aid off at some point, JJ had returned to the BAU at the beginning of July, deciding to work from the office for a few weeks before she began traveling with the team again. JJ's return to work meant Jessie had moved into the house, taking care of Henry while Emily and JJ were at work and doing her best to bond with Alex, who was enjoying getting to know her new nanny.

"We haven't done this in a while," JJ said one Friday night as she sat across from Emily at dinner in the fancy restaurant the brunette had picked out. "This is really nice."

"It's very nice," Emily smiled, reaching across the table and taking the blonde's hand in hers. "It's not very often we get a whole night together just you and me, completely uninterrupted," she said. "I've missed this."

"So have I," JJ agreed. "And I would just like to point out that I haven't called to check on Henry since this afternoon," she said, sounding rather proud of herself. "I believe that's a record for me."

"I'm very proud," Emily laughed. "You've been doing very well."

"Well Jessie makes it easy," JJ smiled. "That woman is a Godsend. She's amazing with Henry and even Alex loves her. I don't think we could have asked for a better nanny."

"I couldn't agree more," Emily nodded. "Does this mean that you'll be okay getting back to traveling with us soon? Because even though we all completely understand your wanting to stay back we do miss having you with us. I mean you're an incredibly valuable asset to the team."

"You're only saying that because you all are sick of dealing with the press," JJ rolled her eyes as Emily tried to look innocent. "But to answer your question, yes," she said. "I actually talked to Hotch earlier today and we decided to give it another week and then I will go back to fulfilling all of my duties," she explained. "It won't be easy, but I'll get through it."

"Of course you will," Emily said, squeezing the blonde's hand. "And I will be by your side the whole time."

"Thank you," JJ smiled. "Alright enough work talk. Tonight is supposed to be about us. So what else do you want to do tonight? Because I was thinking we could catch a movie. Or maybe go for a walk or something. We've got as long as we want. Jessie said she'll be fine without us."

"And you're okay with that?" Emily asked with a laugh.

"I've got to get used to it at some point," JJ replied. "I mean it helps that we're close by if we need to get home," she laughed. "But I want to be able to spend as much time with my future wife as I can tonight."

"I like the sound of that," Emily grinned. "I can't believe the wedding is getting so close. I cannot wait to be your wife," she said, rubbing circles on the back of the blonde's hand. "Plus Alex's adoption Monday afternoon. Are you excited?"

"You have no idea," JJ replied, a huge smile on her face. "I swear to God if you guys get called away I will completely lose it. I mean I know it really doesn't change much between me and Lex, but I'm just so ready to be her mom; officially. Does that sound lame?"

"Not at all," Emily quickly assured her. "I think it's incredibly sweet actually," she smiled. "Alex and I are pretty lucky to have you, you know that?"

"Well Henry and I are lucky too," JJ replied. "I mean we get you and Alex in our lives. I don't think we could be any luckier."

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It seemed odd, but Alex felt nervous all day on Monday as she spent the day at home with Spencer, counting down the hours until her mothers picked her up and took her to the courthouse to have her adoption finalized. The teen had thought of JJ as her mother for long, that it seemed strange to be so excited about being adopted, but for some reason Alex was still beyond thrilled; anxious for the moment when JJ officially adopted her as her daughter.

JJ and Emily had picked the younger brunette up at 3:30pm on the dot, the pair having had worked through their lunches so they could get as much done as possible in order to leave early. Alex had been excited when they had got there, but remained quiet throughout the entire drive to the courthouse; Emily trying to make small talk as JJ sat in the front passenger seat looking just as nervous as Alex.

It had been a rather simple process, Emily standing back with a smile as all the forms were signed, laughing as both JJ and Alex burst into tears as soon as it was done and they were officially mother and daughter. Hugs were shared as the trio thanked the judge before heading home; the car ride home a much more chatty affair.

"You know I think this calls for pizza," JJ said when they pulled into the driveway of their house. "I mean this is a big day. And big days deserve pizza."

"I agree," Alex said, coming around the car to walk with the blonde, who immediately wrapped an arm around her.

"Whatever you two want," Emily laughed, unable to suppress a smile at the sight of the pair with their arms around each other; both obviously happy by the events of the afternoon. "You should call Spencer over as well," she suggested, opening the front door and leading the other two into the house. "Jessie we're home," she called. "Jessie?"

"SURPRISE!" Came the shout of reply as the BAU, along with Alex's friends and Jessie and Henry came around the corner from the dining room, the boys carrying a sign saying "Congratulations JJ and Alex".

"What is all this?" JJ asked with a laugh, as Garcia hurried over and threw her arms around her and Alex.

"Aw come on you didn't think we'd let you go adopt our little Princess and not throw you guys a party did you?' Garcia replied, squeezing them both tightly. "We're just so happy for you guys and your adorable little family."

"Thanks Garcia," Alex laughed as the blonde finally let them go and she was able to go and greet her friends.

"You guys really didn't have to do all this," JJ said. "Did you know about this?" She asked turning towards Emily.

"I had no idea," Emily replied with a shrug.

"Actually Penelope planned it with me," Jessie said. "We thought it was cause for a celebration," she said. "Food is on the way with Agent Rossi and there may also be cake."

"Bonus!" Alex replied as she returned to JJ's side, taking her hand in hers.

"Alright I say we get this party started," Morgan announced. "I will serve the drinks while we wait for the food to get here," he said. "And I don't know about anyone else, but I could use a quick swim."

"I'll help Morgan," Hotch said, as Alex's friends decided to get changed into their bathing suits.

"Lex you coming?" Zoey asked.

"I'll be there in a minute," Alex replied. "Mum, could I talk to you for a minute?" She asked, turning towards the blonde, whose hand she was still holding. "Alone?"

"Of course," JJ nodded, allowing Alex to lead her towards the game room, closing the door behind them. "What's up?"

"I just…I wanted to say thank you," Alex said, biting her lip. "I know I don't have to, but today…today means a lot to me."

"It means a lot to me too honey," JJ smiled, unable to stop the tears that immediately filled her eyes. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Alex replied, before wrapping her arms around the blonde. "I'm glad you're my mum," she grinned.

"Me too," JJ replied with a sniff. "So much," she said, leaning forward and kissing the teen's head, before both wiped away their tears and returned to the family room.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked, putting her arm around JJ as Alex made her way upstairs to change.

"Everything's fine," JJ smiled. "Never better."

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It was the end of the week, the team having just finished with a local case, when Spencer showed up at the front door looking rather anxious.

"Hey Spencer," Emily greeted, opening up the door as she held Henry in her arms. "Alex is out back with Jen kicking the ball around. You can go on back."

"Actually I was hoping I could talk to you," Spencer replied, flattening the sundress she was wearing nervously.

"Of course," Emily nodded. "Come on in," she said, pulling the door wider.

"Do you think maybe we could talk somewhere else?" Spencer asked, looking past the older brunette. "Maybe go for a walk?"

"Sure sweetie," Emily was quick to agree, recognizing the look of desperation on the teen's face. "Let me just see if Jessie will take Henry. Just give me a minute," she said, searching for the nanny and letting her know where she was going before returning to Spencer who stood waiting on the front porch. "Let's go kiddo," she said leading the teen down the driveway and towards the street, figuring they would simply walk the neighbourhood while they talked. "What's going on honey?"

"I just…you said if I ever needed to talk about my parents I could come to you," Spencer began, as Emily nodded that she remembered. "I'm just having a really hard time with everything…everything that I'm keeping from them," she explained. "All of this stuff with Alex is amazing, and I'm so happy but…it's like I'm living two lives."

"I've been there," Emily nodded sympathetically. "I did the same thing when I was younger. First when I found out I was pregnant with Alex, and then again when I was finally honest about my sexuality."

"You said your parents were a lot like mine back then," Spencer said. "So how did you do it? How did you tell them? Because right now the thought of telling my parents that I'm dating a girl makes me feel sick. I mean…I don't know how to talk to them about….anything," she continued. "They're so obsessed with work and being perfect and I just can't see how this will fit their plans for my life."

"Spencer you know there's nothing wrong with the way you feel about Alex right?" Emily asked.

"Of course I do," Spencer replied. "I just don't think my parents will see it that way."

"Parents are hard sometimes," Emily nodded. "Especially parents like ours," she added. "They want so badly for our lives to be a certain way that they forget that we may have other dreams; other desires. They don't consider the fact that our hopes for our lives may be even a little different from theirs," she continued. "To be honest Spencer when I told my parents I was gay, I was older than you are, and I had already had a baby," she explained. "At that point I had decided that if my parents couldn't accept me for who I was, then I didn't need them in my life. But you're only 15."

"So you don't think I should tell them?" Spencer asked in confusion.

"No that's not what I'm saying at all," Emily shook her head. "I think it's great that you figured out what you want at such a young age….that you've found happiness already," she said. "I think that the only thing you can really do if you want to be honest with your parents is just sit them down and tell them. I know that sounds scary, but ultimately they're your parents and they love you. They may have a difficult time at first, but they'll always love you."

"But what if…what if they don't? What if they hate me?" Spencer asked, her eyes big, worried and filled with unshed tears.

"Aw sweetie, they could never hate you," Emily assured her, putting her arm around the teen. "You know my parents and I had a pretty big falling out after I told them the truth, but look at me and my mom now," she said. "She didn't understand, but she learned to accept me for who I am. And now she's completely embraced me and my family, which means she never stopped loving me; even when we weren't talking."

Nodding Spencer bit her lip thoughtfully, considering this silently. "Spencer you don't have to tell your parents until you're ready," Emily said, realizing the teen wasn't going to talk. "But I promise you, that no matter what happens when you do tell them, that I will be here for you," she said, hugging Spencer to her side. "Jennifer and I love you and we will be here for anything you need. Always. You got it?"

"Yeah," Spencer nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I got it."

"Good," Emily smiled, keeping her arm around her daughter's girlfriend. "Now come on. You're coming over for dinner," she said, turning them back in the direction of the house.

"Thanks," Spencer said, leaning her head on Emily's shoulder as they walked, wrapping her arm around the taller woman's waist.

"Anytime kid," Emily replied, turning her head and placing a kiss on the teen's forehead. "Anytime."

Walking down the street, with their arms wrapped around each other, both now talking and laughing together, neither brunette saw the man across the street watching them carefully. Neither felt eyes on them as they headed home or noticed when the man watching them finally turned away.

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Spencer had stayed over Sunday night, sleeping in the guest room while Alex slept in her room as per the rules for the new couple. The girls had stayed up late that night, watching movies together, and whispering to each other until they could no longer keep their eyes open. The taller of the two brunettes had wanted to spend her day with her girlfriend and her little brother, but was forced to leave shortly after Emily and JJ the next morning as she was due at the library where she was volunteering with the children's programs; something her mother had insisted would look good when she applied to college.

Saying her goodbyes to Alex, Spencer headed down the driveway, needing to stop at her own house to grab her bicycle before she left since both her parents had already left for work. Just as the teen reached the bottom of the driveway though a dog ran by, Spencer stopping in surprise as the large golden retriever jumped up on her excitedly as a man called out, waving his arms with a leash in his hand.

Since the dog had obviously belonged to him, Spencer had taken hold of its collar so it couldn't get away again, waiting as the man walked up.

"Thanks so much," the man said as he approached. "He ran out the front door as I was grabbing the paper. We're new to the neighbourhood."

"Oh it's no problem," Spencer replied with a smile, as she handed over the dog and the man immediately connected the leash. "And welcome to the neighbourhood," she said politely, checking her watch as she realized she really needed to leave. "Sorry I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to be going."

"Oh of course, no problem," the man replied. "Thanks again," he said, waving until the teen turned away before pulling out a knife and pressing it against her back. "Scream and I will put this right through your back. Understand?" He said, his friendly persona completely dropped as he felt the brunette stiffen in fear. "That's a good girl," he said. "Now you're going to act normal and head for that van straight ahead. And you're not going to try anything."

Terrified, Spencer simply followed the man's orders, shaking nervously as she prayed for someone in the neighbourhood to notice them, but seeing no one around.

"Tell me, do you know who I am?" The man asked when they reached the car. "Did your mother warn you about me?" He asked, much to Spencer's confusion, unsure of what her mother had to do with this man. "I mean she must have. I was the one who shot her after all."

"I-Isaac Parrilla," Spencer gulped realizing why the man had looked so familiar and understanding that he thought she was Alex. "You're Isaac Parrilla," she repeated.

"Very good," the man nodded, opening up the back of the van before shoving the teen inside, double checking that no one was watching. "Your mother is about to learn a very important lesson. It's time for Emily Prentiss to feel what it's like to have her daughter taken away from her," he sneered.

With no idea how to escape, tears immediately filled Spencer's eyes, the terrifying grin of Isaac Parrilla the last thing she saw before everything went dark.

 **To Be Continued…**

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 **I know! I'm sorry! But I promise that I will start the next story as soon as possible! I just had to do it!**

 **Until the next one my friends! Thanks so much for reading! -J**


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